


Lycanthrope

by Compromised_Coffee_Filter



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Canon Compliant, Feelings, Hinata and Yachi are Best Buds, Kageyama Tobio is a Good Friend, Loss of Control, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Trust, Werewolves, Werewolves Turn Into Actual Wolves, What am I doing with my life?, Yamaguchi is the best, non-canon elements, supernatural beasts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2020-07-08 04:03:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19863190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Compromised_Coffee_Filter/pseuds/Compromised_Coffee_Filter
Summary: "There was something different about his eyes. They were Hinata's eyes- except for the pupils- which were glowing yellow instead of their usual, beautiful black. A cold sweat broke over Tsukishima's body, and he shuddered under the wolf's gaze.Why did it look like he absolutely hated him?"Tsukishima did notice the strange things about Hinata, though he didn't really think anything of it until one day practise was essential and Hinata was forced to come along. The moon rises before he can get away, and his condition is revealed.Just like that Tsukishima finds himself thrust into a life filled with mystery, special abilities and a complete lack of control.





	1. That Full Moon

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a half-au which I've wanted to do for a while. I dunno how it'll turn out but eh, I'm willing to give this a shot.
> 
> Things to be aware of:  
> -Yachi becomes manager-to-be from the get-go, (for story purposes and I really like Yachi)  
> -Yachi and Hinata went to the same junior high  
> -This supernatural world doesn't only include werewolves, other supernaturals will come into the story later on.
> 
> I think that's everything. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I re-wrote this first chapter. For better or for worse, i dunno

"As you know we have a practise match Aoba Johasai in two days time," Captain Daichi said, facing his team. "We will be having extra practise tomorrow after school, and most likely it will run late. Does everyone have a way to get home after it gets dark?"

  
A murmur of agreement went through the team.

  
"Good, because attendance to this practise is mandatory for all who wish to play in the practise match."

  
There was another mumble of 'yeah sure' and 'okay' that nobody noticed the look of absolute horror settle across the little ginger's face.

* * *

The warning signs were present right from the beginning. Although they weren't so much as warning signs as they were weird habits. Who could blame anyone for preferring dogs over cats? Or always ordering extra pork and beef with ramen?

  
The weirder things; the odd happiness when someone ruffled his head or the blatant refusal to touch metal cutlery- everyone just wrote off as quirks in Hinata's personality. Everyone had some sort weird hiccups- Tanaka's habit of taking his shirt off and Tsukishima's own dinosaur collection could be counted towards those things.

  
Nobody really thought anything of it, especially not Tsukishima. Why should he? Everyone on the Karasuno team was a little strange, and were much more memorable than his old junior high team (he'd forgotten their names already).

  
Though he knew that even if high school would be filled with more vibrant people, he'd still be shit at interacting with them. Eh, he didn't care- he had Yamaguchi, and dealing with people was just generally awful.

  
Anyways, back to Hinata.

  
It was no secret that he was one huge nervous wreck, especially after the announcement of an actual practise match- but something felt off when he came into the gym that evening. He looked... nervous...? Yes, but there was something else to that fact. Was he sick? There was something wrong with his eyes- the whites of which were now yellow like old paper. Was it an illness? Maybe, but he still moved like his normal self, so it was probably nothing serious.

  
He was speaking to Yachi, their manager-to-be. She had signed up for a trial with them only a few days ago, and so far the only thing Tsukishima knew about her was that she was a complete anxious disaster (that and she and Hinata were old junior-high buddies). How she managed to be best friends with someone like Hinata was almost unfathomable.

  
But... they both looked uncharacteristically sombre, as if someone had just died. They both spoke quietly among themselves, too quietly to hear, even when Tsukishima tried to eavesdrop while pretending to tie his shoes.

  
"Is something wrong with Hinata and Yachi?" Yamaguchi whispered to him, fixing a pad on his knee.

  
Tsukishima shrugged his shoulders, deciding that he didn't care about those two. "Yachi may just be freaking out that she'll die in the next minute- and Hinata's too dumb to assure her that she won't die by volleyball."

  
The team gathered round, and Captain Sawamura-san addressed them all (Tsukishima was a little disappointed at the lack of a coach but hey ho, it wasn't as if Karasuno was still a powerhouse school). Yachi took her place next to Shimizu-senpai. "As you all know by now," their captain spoke to them, stabbing the air with his finger. "We will be playing a practise match against Seijoh tomorrow. We have been training intensely, but we need to stay calm and focused. A lot of you tend to panic when things don't go well for us."

  
Tsukishima couldn't help himself. He tapped Kageyama's shoulder in front and whispered; "Like you little king."

  
The look upon Kageyama's face was priceless, just like it always was. It would never get old. "Tsukishima I swear to God!"

  
"Be quiet!"

  
Daichi rolled his eyes at the disruption. "We will work on our defence today. Kinnoshita and Tanaka, you will be spiking first."

  
"Alright!"

  
The warm-up drill had gotten them going well, and Kageyama even got to scream at Hinata a little bit when he failed to receive- he still sucked at it. Tanaka and Kinnoshita had gotten into a friendly competition of who could get the most receives, which didn't end as friendly as it started.

  
The drills eventually got them all hyped and ready for a little game. Though their captain had unfortunately decided that 'their dear little first years' needed to get along a little more and put them all on a team of four, and against the veterans of Karasuno no less. Three crappy receivers and the king. Really, the team couldn't've hoped for a worse first-year set-up. Tsukishima couldn't've asked for a worse first-year set up.

  
And just like Tsukishima predicted, the first fifteen minutes were complete and utter chaos. Did he seriously expect anything different? At least things started to smooth out after the blaming fingers stopped pointing and the death threats faded into occasional shouts of 'nice serve' or 'nice kill'. The previously tense atmosphere faded into concentration and competitiveness, where Tsukishima jumped and dived after the ball to the point where he had to question his own sanity. Yamaguchi was doing good, slowly but surely gaining confidence.

  
The fourth time Hinata had gotten in their monster quick, Suga had spoke up. "Geez, it must be some luck that we have the power-first-years on our side."

  
"Power first-years!" Hinata's eyes brightened at the nickname. Again Tsukishima noticed his sickly-looking yellowing eye-whites. He focused on his annoying voice to push that worry away. "That can be like our alias!"

  
Tsukishima shook his head. "No."

  
Yamaguchi had betrayed him and taken Hinata's side. "I think it's pretty cool."

  
"It is! Isn't it!" Hinata bounded up to him, bristling with barely suppressed excitement. He smiled widely, showing off his abnormally large fangs. "We're the power first-years! Power first-years!"

  
"Power first-years! Power first-years!" Yamaguchi joined in, Hinata's excitement infecting him like the plague. Tsukishima could see the pinch server's eyes light up. Usually they only lit up when he himself was around, but Hinata was quickly earning the honour of making Yamaguchi's eyes sparkle. How annoying.

  
"Shut up! Both of you!" Kageyama yelled, already picking up the ball to serve. "We get it, power first-years-" he went quiet a little "-it does sound sort of cool though."

  
"Of for the love of God," Tsukishima slapped his own forehead. "I ain't a part of that."

  
"Power first-years! Power first-years!" Yachi had began to chant from the sidelines, which only set Yamaguchi and Hinata off again.

  
The play had been going on forever, the windows open to let the nighttime darkness creep in, making sure neither of them overheat from moving around so much.

  
Though all of a sudden, Hinata froze.

  
The ball smacked the floor hard, and Kageyama's voice simultaneously rose with it. "Dumbass! Hinata you dumbass! You could at least move!"

  
However Hinata seemed unaffected by Kageyama's screams, which was a first. He just... stared blindly, as if some sort of horrific realisation poured over him at that moment. Tsukishima raised an eyebrow, vaguely aware of Yamaguchi sneaking to his side- as he was prone to do whenever something was going down. And Yachi initially thought boys didn't start drama. Guess she'd never read "The Lord of the Flies"... or any history book for that matter.

  
The ginger boy lowered his eyes, and two synchronised streams of tears rolled out of his eyes. They pattered silently onto the floor. He didn't make a sound.

  
"Geez shrimp, it's not the first time the king had yelled at you-" Tsukishima had started to say, but Yachi cut across him.

  
She had stepped forward into the court, something which she had never dared to do during a match, even a practise one. "Hinata," she said, making everyone around aware that the whole hall had gone silent. "Hinata, don't do this. Fight it."

  
As if on command, Hinata let out a loud, shaking breath, which was then followed by a shrill, high-pitched whimper. His legs gave out and he began to fall forward, but Yachi was at his side in an instant, holding him up with stammers of 'sorry' and apologies that she shouldn't've lost track of time. "Come on, let's get you away."

  
The entire gym watched as Yachi dragged a half-limp, crying Hinata off the court.

  
Weren't those two horribly morbid when they came in? Tsukishima vaguely remembered their out-of-character behaviour before training started.

  
"Yachi, Hinata, what's hap-" Daichi stepped forward on the other side, but Yachi waved her hand at him.

  
"Don't come near him," she warned, panicking like crazy. "You have to stay away."

  
Umm? Yachi never struck him as the possessive type, but she sounded concerned rather than jealous. Scared, even. And Hinata looked about three seconds from having a breakdown, now drowned in tears and quietly sobbing.

  
When Yachi was about to reach for the door, Hinata suddenly tore himself away from her; literally shoved her away from him. The poor girl stumbled back, and fell hard onto her behind with a loud yelp.

  
It happened in a split second moment, a wail of complete and utter agony split the air, (a horrible sound that made Tsukishima's head ring like a struck bell) and Hinata fell to his hands and knees.

  
He began to change.

  
His skin was covered with a thick layer of amber fur, and his ears pointed and travelled to the top of his head. His shoes burst apart, and his clothes ripped slightly to accustom to the new, bigger body shape. His feet and hands twisted into claws, and his flat face elongated into a long muzzle.

  
Then it was all over. Silence fell over the volleyball team, everyone rooted to the ground with shock, staring at the ginger ball of fur that was standing there on all fours.

  
It was a wolf. A thin, sleek wolf the colour of sun-baked amber. The tattered remains of his clothes hung off of his body like party streamers, his pelt moving with every heavy breath, his long, poofy tail waving back and forth in a slow, steady rhythm.

  
_What in the everloving fuck just happened?_

  
Did Tsukishima take something? Was he hallucinating? Was this a fever dream? No way was this real. Hinata- the dumb, shrimpy shorty with waaaay too much energy _just turned into a wolf_.

  
Tsukishima couldn't wrap his head around it. Pinch him. He was dreaming.

  
_Get away from it_ , Tsukishima's brain screamed, and he gladly listened. He took a step back, his sneaker making an _oh-so_ quiet skidding noise against the polished floor.

  
And that was possibly Tsukishima's greatest mistake.

  
At that small sound the wolf burst to life, his closed eyes snapping open. A loud, monstrous snarl emerged from him, and his lips pulled back to show off the pink gums and the many dagger-like teeth which were held inside. Each tooth sparkled in the overhead light, the points dark and needle-sharp. His brown eyes locked onto Tsukishima, and narrowed.

  
Tsukishima didn't even need to squint his eyes to see Hinata's features in this wolf- his fur had his hair's trademark ragged features, and his face was still Hinata's, even with the long muzzle.

  
Yet there was something different about his eyes. They were Hinata's eyes- except for the pupils- which were glowing yellow instead of their usual, raven black, almost like little lanterns. A cold sweat broke over Tsukishima's body, and he shuddered under the wolf's gaze.

  
Why did it look like he _absolutely hated_ him?

  
The wolf was up on his feet now, a long white claw atop each turned-out toe and finger clinking against the floor like porcelain. The growling had become constant now, and the wolf turned to stalk towards him. Tsukishima found himself backing away steadily. With each step the wolf took, he took one too, keeping them at a steady distance.

  
That distance was rapidly closed however when the amber wolf turned into a blur. A wave of force swept him off his feet, yet Tsukishima heard the collision of him hitting the floor more than he'd felt it. His mind went to his shoulder, from where there emerged a pain like he'd never known before. Scarlet spilled over the floor, and Tsukishima's distracted brain took some time realise what was happening.

  
_His teeth are in my shoulder_. He could hear distant screaming, both his own and his teammates.

  
"Stop!" He aimed for his usual angry, deep tone, but what instead came out was a frail whimper full of fear and panic. The wolf pulled back, the blood cascading from his jaws as he pinned Tsukishima to the floor with his abnormally strong, clawed hands, talons slowly tearing clothes and skin. No matter how much Tsukishima struggled, he couldn't break free. The more he moved, the stronger his attacker seemed to get, so Tsukishima fell limp like a helpless piece of prey.

  
A clawed hand fisted into Tsukishima's golden hair, and harshly tilted his head up to force him to look at the wolf's face. It was so close to his, those eyes flaring like wildfire. _I'm going to kill you_ , they said, droplets of saliva and blood pit-pattering onto Tsukishima's cheek. His heart hammered so hard against his chest it hurt almost as bad as the agony that pulsed through his shoulder.

"Hinata?"

  
The wolf lunged forward, and his jaws clasped around Tsukishima's exposed throat. The teeth pressed against the skin, though didn't break it.

  
At that moment Tsukishima thought he must've died.

  
Something made the wolf stop. Something made him take his sharp teeth away from Tsukishima's throat and lift his bloodied jaws.

  
That's when he heard it. A girl imitating the screaming of a wolf. It was another voice Tsukishima recognised, and suddenly the intensely throbbing pain dulled when he realised that it was Yachi who made the noise.

  
In all the short time he had known Yachi, he was sure she could be used as a dictionary definition for 'anxiety'. Now, it looked like all of that melted away. She stood there surely when everyone had backed away as far away as they could or had grabbed brooms as makeshift weapons.

  
Yachi cupped her hands around her mouth and made the odd screaming noise again, and the ginger wolf's ear flicked, and he growled again. His claws scraped across the ground as he stepped away from Tsukishima and began to stalk towards her, his teeth bared again. Every time he took a step, miniature gashes would appear in the soft gym floor.

  
_Oh God... everything hurts. My shoulder... ow..._

  
Yachi just huffed. "Don't growl at me." She too bared her teeth at him, copying his snarl. Now that Yachi was standing head to head with the wolf, Tsukishima could see that, even when standing on all fours, the wolf still reached up to Yachi's elbows at his own shoulders- he was big.

  
It didn't faze Yachi however. "You don't know these people, but you do know me." She tapped her foot on the ground in annoyance, crossing her arms. "You know me."

  
The wolf's reply was simply an inhuman roar. However Yachi stood her ground. She bit back her lip and made an odd seal-bark sound. The wolf stopped instantly.

  
Yachi coughed before trying to speak again. "See? I know your language, that's proof enough. Stop lying to yourself; you know me." Her eyes narrowed angrily. "Now sit."

  
Nobody could believe what was happening. The wolf that had been nothing but a monster now folded his hind legs underneath him and obediently sat. How come he looked less threatening now?

  
He looked just like an ordinary dog.

  
"Down boy," Yachi snapped, and the wolf lay down, still eyeing her discretely. His eyes seemed to glow less, the blaze dimmed down to just embers as he awaited his next order. "Now stay. And don't you dare move."

  
As Yachi had commanded, the wolf didn't move a muscle. Silent, obedient. The girl opened the double-sliding doors and tapped her foot. "Come," she said, gentler this time.

  
The very instant the order was given, the wolf raised himself up to his paws and padded to her side, his long tail between his crooked legs.

  
Yachi's gaze softened sadly before it hardened with determination again. "Go! Shoo!" She flung her arms at him. "Come back when you're in the right mind!"

  
The wolf ran outside, and disappeared into the night, the full moon guiding his way.

  
"Tsukishima!"

  
His name fell on deaf ears as Tsukishima lay there. He couldn't stand. He couldn't move. He could only lay there, so he tilted his head and returned what he had eaten for lunch that day.

  
_Was that Hinata?_

  
He recognised his best friend's terrified wails as he way forced to sit (he would've protested but his voice cheated him and nothing more came out his mouth). His head was spinning and the different voices melted together into incoherent echoes.

  
_God it all hurts so, so much._

  
He fought the urge to cringe away from delicate hands bandaging his shoulder, but managed to accept a water bottle passed down to him. Water. Water was always welcome. Wash the taste of vomit and blood out his mouth.

  
There was blood everywhere.

  
Eventually Tsukishima's head cleared enough to see and hear and generally be aware of the world around him again, (useful suff), and he answered the fifty unanswered 'are you alright Tsukki?'s with "I'm fine."

  
"Okay, now that's that outta the way," Tanaka cleared his throat. "What the fuck just happened?"

  
As if on cue, all heads turned to Yachi. Her shoulders tensed and she left out a high-pitched, nervous squeak. "I have a lot of explaining to do, haven't I?"


	2. Yugigaoka Junior High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback Chapter from Yachi's POV

From the moment Yachi Hitoka had transferred to Yugigaoka Junior High she knew something was off.

  
Her previous school was held in a newly refurbished building, and it still smelled of building supplies. Yachi was quite happy there, having already made a few friends from her class. However after the scandal involving several of the junior high's teachers and a mass-firing of staff the students were sent to different schools yet again.

  
Transferring so late in the year was a massive pain in the behind; transferring itself sucked! Her friends had gotten signed up for Kitagawa Daiichi, a pristine school who anyone with a sound mind would want to go to. Heck, it was pretty, it held a good reputation for producing smart, able students who would then have high schools fighting over them. Oh how Yachi had pleaded her mother to let her attend that school, to be alongside her already-made group of friends, so she could get to dress up in a smart uniform with a tie and everything. Of course Yachi's wishes were unheard.

  
Instead her mother sat her down and announced that she'd be attending Yugigaoka Junior High instead, a school which maintained a rather shady reputation within Miyagi, and even the school board had warned parents about sending their kids there. There had even been gossip about that school, Yachi had heard a lot about it. One story which stuck in her mind was the one where the school bathrooms had gotten new sinks. By lunchtime all the sinks were unscrewed, stolen, and probably sold off. How pre-teens managed to smuggle _entire sinks_ out of school was a mystery but the students of Yugigaoka were known to accomplish crazy feats. They were feared and respected in the junior-high world.

  
Yachi didn't want to go to Yugigaoka, it would be a nightmare! How awful would it be to attend a school where nearly everyone would have the ability to kill her? But her mother said that she needed to learn to fend for herself, to toughen up and face opponents five times her size in life. It would be a good opportunity for her, she said.

  
So Yachi begrudgingly went to Yugigaoka, and instantly she realised how weird everything felt.

  
She slunk through the corridors, melting away into nothingness so that the bigger kids wouldn't take any notice of her. The aura they gave off was... frightening. She could barely sit in class without trembling due to some unknown threat, as if something would leap out and grab her. Some students were normal; as in they acted normal and went about as normal children (though she witnessed a group of third-years steal a cop car once so like hell if she knew what was normal anymore), but most were downright strange.

  
Fixing strange, hearing-aid like devices that hung behind their ears but never entered, having strange, biological needs or getting offended at seemingly random phrases- ' _rabid dog_ ', ' _your parents can't recognise their own child_ ' and ' _cat-hearted_ ' being some of the most commonly-used ones.

  
At the end of her first week there she hadn't said a word to anyone.

  
She had cried to her mother, begging her to transfer again but her mother insisted that she would grow to like it. As if! How was she supposed to like something that felt bone-deep wrong?

  
Though that's how life continued, and Yachi eventually ended up with a friend group to call her own. Three boys who had approached her in the play-ground, each in her year, drastically different from one another.

  
There was Koji, the boy who was a little aggressive, though compared to what she saw the other kids demonstrate she'd take Koji's version any day. There was also Izumin, the laid-back, mother friend which she found she could trust. He was very chill to hang out with.

  
Then there was Hinata. A boy with flaming red hair and eyes which gleamed like wildfire. He bounced everywhere he walked, determination beaming from him when he focused on something. If you were sad, he'd stop at nothing to raise a smile back onto your face.

  
It was he who told Yachi what was really going on in that school.

  
She had been accidentally pushed by a boy from the year above, who snapped at her instead of apologising. Yachi had wanted to let it go, but a chaotic-good classmate of hers had said it was not okay, flicked his oddly-soaking hair (he must've had swimming before his lessons) and _transformed into a massive black-and-white horse_.

  
She had fallen back into Hinata, with who she watched the coming shitshow of the horse ramming into the second-year, knocking the device on his ear to the ground. In an instant two massive sets of antlers had grown out of the boy's head, and he shrieked in fury, hands lighting up with green flames.

  
Thankfully nobody had gotten terribly hurt, and a teacher had come, separating the two with some sort of invisible barrier, dragging them both away much to the dismay of the crowd.

  
Hinata had asked if she was okay, but Yachi was anything but okay. What had just happened? What she drugged and hallucinating? Was this a dream? Did she die and this was her over-active imagination coping with the trauma?

  
"It's okay. You know that a quarter of this school is human, and the rest are supernaturals right? Oh? You didn't? Well, that horse was a kelpie, and the guy with the antlers was a warlock, sorcerer.... I never learned to tell the difference."

  
So that's how Yachi found out that every single mythical beast from every mythology actually existed, that the tales never lied. And she happened to go to a school where the majority were these so-called 'supernaturals'.

  
Every day Yachi would come into contact with a supernatural incident, and she had recently found out that the cute girl sitting behind her in class was a faerie changeling. She was sort-of pleased that no other school in the area had the same pleasure of going to a school which was as close to Hogwarts as it got, but also sad. Nobody would ever believe her if she ever told them. Oh well. It was her little secret.

  
Her three friends had each joined a different sport- in Hinata's case he'd been trying to get together an actual volleyball team but with no luck. Yachi admired his determination, and his drive to achieve his dream, though she (along with the other two) thought it was pretty hopeless.

  
They were hanging out together in the classroom when the incident happened.

  
A tall kid from the next class over had come inside looking for a fight- the guy was a supernatural (Yachi didn't know which one) and was known for a short fuse and often was the main attraction during fights in the corridors. Unfortunately he decided that four of the most bland people in the school were worthy of picking a fight with.

  
He walked up to the four huddled in the far corner of the classroom, and proceeded to fist his hand into Izumi's hair and pull his head back harshly. The other two boys stood up instantly, firmly telling him to let their friend go and to leave them alone. Yachi just trembled, trying not to think about how the guy's beefy arms could snap her neck with a simple flick.

  
The large guy had sneered loudly, gaining attention through the class. People's heads turned to stare, some with nervous empathy, some getting ready for a show. A few students stopped at the doorway, ready to catalogue and spread that day's gossip.

  
Hinata and Koji moved at the same time, as if sharing the same brain cells (which weren't smart seeing as the guy was bigger than both of them combined), and grabbed the guy's massive arms, causing him to drop Izumi in surprise. The shocked boy jumped to Yachi, pressing his body against hers while kids all around began to chant the traditional mantra, some egging them on, others shouting in an attempt to get teachers to the scene, knowing that the word 'fight' was a giant teacher-magnet.

  
It was two against one, and the two little humans had managed to gain the upper hand from their first leap, tackling the guy down onto the floor in an attempt to get him under control. However all the massive beast had to do was swipe a huge hand and Koji was sent flying across the room.

  
Yachi didn't really remember what happened next, the memory was hazy but she only remembered the blurry specifics.

  
The sudden appearance of a colossal charcoal-black wolf with acid-green eyes, the flinging of desks, the flash of teeth, Hinata's terrified wail of pain, the splatter of bright scarlet blood.

  
People began screaming, and Yachi was screaming too. Her mind went into a daze as a teacher dragged the wolf away from the half-dead boy, and an ambulance was called. Multiple people were called to the principle's office that afternoon, taking statements of what exactly had happened, including Yachi. What was she to say? She insisted it wasn't Hinata's fault, and thankfully nobody blamed him. He wasn't a supernatural and was the one assaulted, however the wolf was facing a few months' suspension (they couldn't really expel him; no other junior high in the area took in supernaturals).

  
Thankfully Hinata had survived, but that bore its own consequences.

  
Yachi would never forget the time she first saw that transformation, those shrieks of complete and utter agony, and the monster that took her friend's place. She had hid behind Koji's arm, who tried and failed to make Hinata recognise them. Their friend didn't know them at all, barking and roaring furiously; Yachi thought she was going to die (which wasn't a product of her overactive imagination for once). And they really would've died if it wasn't for Izumi's quick thinking. A rock to the head was enough to knock the wolf out.

  
The terror of the wolfish nature seemed to seep into every moment of Hinata's life, quickly destroying his humanity till there was not a thread of sanity remaining. What was left of his personality had given way to unrefined instinct, completely judging decisions on his fight-or-flight response. Sometimes he'd even fail to recognise the people closest to him, and not knowing who they were, he'd either flee or attack. Family, friends, teachers, classmates, random people; it didn't matter.

  
He'd retreat to his monstrous beast form every night, responding when the moon called him. It owned him, controlled him, wrapped him up in a tight little spiderweb with no chance of escape.

  
Hinata himself hated what was becoming of him. More than once Yachi had walked in on his panic attacks.

  
"What if I accidentally kill one of you?" he'd lament through shaking breaths and tear-stained cheeks. "What if I hurt my family? I don't want to hurt you! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

  
All Yachi could say was; "I know."

  
The lycanthropy disease had dimmed Hinata's light severely, it was as if the eternal night had settled. It wasn't something anyone could ignore, so desperation had them seeking help from other supernaturals, and thankfully there was a solution to this mess.

  
While Hinata worked on getting himself under control- which was easier said than done, in his words- Yachi, Izumi and Koji, and the entire Hinata family had each stayed up late learning the language of the wolves, making sure they knew absolutely everything about the species the little sunshine had now belonged to. Weakness to silver and dog-like instincts and outbursts, and the loss of control to the moon's influence.

  
The following weeks were spent taming Hinata, and to everyone's relief their tactics had worked. It was tough, but by the end of first year Hinata had thankfully gotten a hold of himself and went back to his usual, cheerful self. The Hinata Yachi and everyone else adored. Granted he still lost total control every full moon, but the wolf he turned into recognised the people close to him. Sometimes Yachi and Hinata's little sister Natsu would snuggle close to his fur by the fire when it was winter and too cold to roam the surrounding forests.

  
Hinata's fur was so soft and fluffy; he was like a pillow and a blanket all in one. And suddenly he was an overgrown puppy dog instead of the murderous monster his nature wanted him to be.

  
So when Yachi found out that she'd be going to the same high school as Hinata, she was happy and relieved. They said their goodbyes to Izumi and Koji at their graduation, who unfortunately wouldn't be joining them in Karasuno High School.

  
"Keep an eye on the puppy for us, will you Hitoka?" Koji had joked, while Izumi laughed and Hinata bristled instinctively at the nickname and insisted that everything would be fine. Though that statement had made Yachi panic.

  
What if she messed up and couldn't stop Hinata if he went on a rampage? She always had Izumi and Koji backing her up, what if she couldn't do it herself? Then Hinata would never talk to her again and he'd kill someone, preferably herself and-

  
"Stop your panicking," Izumi patted her shoulder. "You'll do great! Sho-chan'll listen to you-" he gave the little ginger his signature mother-glares (since Izumi was the collective mother of the group, and coincidentally better than Yachi's own mother (but she would never tell her that)) "Won't you Sho-chan?"

  
Hinata groaned, throwing his head back. "I always listeeeen! I'll behave! Besides, now I get to protect you!"

  
_Thanks Izumi for passing on the mother-baton to me now, really thanks_ , Yachi had thought sarcastically as she watched them leave towards the sunset.

  
But she shouldn't be pessimistic now, she was beginning a new chapter of her life. A whole new environment where she could be killed at any time. But she had a werewolf by her side, what could possibly go wrong?


	3. Arrangements

Tsukishima laid awake that night, the throbbing pain of his shoulder peeling his eyes open. He laid on his back, staring at his moonlit ceiling. Even though he'd showered, he was sweating as if he'd just ran a marathon, the cold making goosebumps appear on his skin.

  
He had gone straight upstairs after coming home, thankful his mother never questioned him and Atikeru was away at college, making sure his bandage wasn't showing from beneath his coat. He refused to eat, saying he wasn't hungry. That wasn't a lie, he wasn't- but it was more due to the fact that he felt that he would vomit the moment he swallowed something.

  
He didn't dare to remove the bandage, not wanting to see the horrifying bite mark, even when it got a little wet during his shower. He knew he'd have to change it first thing next morning, and he dreaded it. It was deep, however it should heal fast, but it still hurt. It didn't _just_ hurt- it burned and twisted, like it was sucking all his organs through those holes those teeth left in his skin. In desperation, he'd taken paracetamol, but it wasn't enough. _I need morphine_ , he had thought to himself when the pain didn't stop. _Or cocaine_.

  
But he didn't have morphine or cocaine. In all honesty he should be going to the hospital to get that wound checked out, and get some pain-relief, but what would he tell his mother?

  
_This small dimwit on my volleyball team had turned into a massive dog and nearly tore my throat out._ Yeah, it didn't sound believable. Not at all.

  
But it wasn't the pain that stressed Tsukishima out the most, or the fact that he got a little queasy just at the sight of red; it was what Yachi had told him when she explained Hinata's condition.

  
"The lycanthropy disease is passed through the bite. D-don't worry though! There's a chance you might not get it- there have been cases that it doesn't pass on but..."

  
Tsukishima didn't hear the rest. He didn't need to. His teammates' stares burned his skin like acid, so he weakly excused himself and left. He didn't take any detours, and didn't realise he was running until the wound made itself heard.

  
There was a chance that he wouldn't get the disease, but Tsukishima wasn't an optimist. He didn't like his odds- though maybe he should be happy with his chances of becoming a murder-machine than straight up being killed by one.

  
Tsukishima raised his good hand to pull at his hair, trying to distract pain with pain. And when that didn't work, he dragged the hand down his face. He paused when he felt the wetness, and stared at the grey outline of his fingers, and the water clinging to them.

  
He was crying.

  
The ping of his phone rescued him from paying to much attention to the tears rolling out of his eyes. He wiped his palm on his leg before reaching out for it.

  
**[Gucci]**   
_Tsukki are you okay?_

  
Tsukishima squinted at the bright screen, noticing the time atop his screen, noting that it was only three minutes till midnight.

  
**[Me]**   
_Why are you awake?_

  
-he decided to ask instead.

  
**[Gucci]**   
_I'm worried about you. You're clearly not alright if you're awake at midnight._

  
Yamaguchi could seriously be the biggest damn hypocrite. Tsukishima pressed his lips tightly together, relieved that he now had something to take his mind off the bite.

  
**[Me]**   
_I'm fine._

  
Then instantly-

  
**[Gucci]**   
_No you're not._

  
Since when did Yamaguchi possess telepathic abilities? Dude wasn't even here, though Tsukishima found himself wishing that he was. If he had to chose anyone to cry to, it would be Yamaguchi. He could hide his face in his chest and forget everything else. Yamaguchi wouldn't tell anyone anything.

  
**[Me]**   
_Fine. I'm not. You happy?_

  
**[Gucci]**   
_Not necessarily. Does your shoulder still hurt?_

  
As if on cue his wound gave a painful throb, and Tsukishima couldn't quite suppress the whine that came with it.

  
**[Me]**   
_Hurts like all hell. Thanks for reminding me about it._

  
**[Gucci]**   
_Sorry Tsukki.  
You need to get to sleep._

  
Tsukishima clicked his tongue.

  
**[Me]**   
_What do you think I've been trying to do for the past hour??_

  
His best friend didn't reply for a while, before the chorus of Gorillaz 'Feel Good Inc.' started to quietly play while Yamaguchi's smiling face appeared on his screen. Tsukishima sighed before he clicked 'answer call' and pressed the phone to his ear.

  
"How bad is it?" was the question that answered him first, Yamaguchi's worried voice cracking under the pressure of stress just as it always did. It was good hearing his voice, much better than just reading his words.

  
Tsukishima gave a dry, humourless laugh. "I mean, it's not letting me sleep. I'm beginning to actually wish Hinata had killed me instead."

  
"Don't say that Tsukki," Yamaguchi scolded him. "There's still a chance that everything'll be fine."

  
Tsukishima clicked his tongue again. "It probably won't be, if the burning's anything to go by."

  
"It's burning!?"

  
"Feels like it."

  
He winced at the sound of the gasp on the other end of the line. "Gosh, I hope that's not a bad sign!" Yamaguchi said in a tone that said he was about to look it up.

  
Tsukishima shook his head. "Don't bother yourself with it, I've tried looking it up already. All that comes up is fantasy stories and useless Wikipedia articles."

  
"Are you crying?"

  
Tsukishima paused for a moment, before pressing his hand to a wet eye. "I'm in pain, what did you expect?" He inhaled a shaking breath, his self-restraints breaking. "There's a-a heavy chance that I'm... I'm going t-to be a m-monster. Th-that I-I'll be like.. like that."

  
"Tsukki-"

  
"I'm going- I'm going to be a werewolf," Tsukishima whispered desperately. "I'm going to be kicked out of my house- or, or shot or-"

  
"Tsukki!"

  
Tsukishima shut up.

  
"Geez, where did you learn to panic like that from? Was it me, or was it Yachi-san?"

  
Tsukishima replied with a quiet sob. He himself didn't know. He wiped away at the tears that just kept coming.

  
"Whether you're a werewolf or not, I'm not going to leave your side," Yamaguchi said seriously. "I never have, and I never will. Everything will be okay, you hear me? We'll just make it okay."

  
If only his cold phone could actually be a warm, comforting hand. "Thanks, Yamaguchi."

  
"Anytime!"

  
And so they talked into the night, about everything and nothing, about the things they usually did and about things they didn't. Until Tsukishima closed his eyes and fell into the welcoming arms of sleep, and Yamaguchi wished him goodnight and hung up.

* * *

The next day Yamaguchi and Tsukishima walked to school together like nothing had happened. Of course Yamaguchi asked if he was okay, and after Tsukishima insisted he was fine, the subject was dropped and they instead talked about the shitty physics substitute they had yesterday (they'd swapped names just for the hell of it, it'd been one of their running gags they'd started back in middle school and didn't ever stop).

  
Though the thoughts never left Tsukishima alone. They always sat at the back of his mind, buzzing like a furious bluebottle against a window. When he'd be distracted enough he'd think of the horribly mutilated shoulder he was forced to hide under his coat, how the punctures were deep and slightly shredded, exposing bone in some places. That would definitely leave a scar, whether he got the disease or not.

  
And what if he did get the disease? He too would turn into a creature straight out of Tim Burton's nightmares, attacking everything that moved and he'd even lift a tooth to kill somebody he knew and-

  
So Tsukishima didn't let himself get distracted too often. He'd speak with Yamaguchi, or focus deeply on repeating the song lyrics he was currently listening to, so much so he was muttering them under his breath.

  
When they reached the school grounds it wasn't a surprise that Kageyama was already there. Though for some reason he refused to pass the gates to the school, refused to go near his beloved volleyball gym.

  
Who was this guy and what had he done with Kageyama?

  
"Oh? The King hesitant to step foot into his own kingdom?" Tsukishima jibed, thankful that there was something else to distract himself with. "Are you scared they'll kick you out again?"

  
Kageyama flinched and spun round, meeting them with a gaze that ranged somewhere between surprise, fear and annoyance. "Huh?" he went for his default reply, one which made Yamaguchi snicker- a welcome encouragement to Tsukishima's ears.

  
"I thought you'd be throwing yourself at the door already, desperate to get in," Tsukishima tilted his head, letting light reflect from his glasses. "You don't care about your favourite sport anymore hmmm?"

  
Kageyama's fist clenched but he strangely stood his ground. "I'm not going anywhere near there," he said with bone-deep certainty.

  
Yamaguchi broke first. "What? Why not?"

  
Kageyama simply pointed past the gates at the volleyball gym entrance.

  
So Tsukishima and Yamaguchi leaned past the setter to look, and Tsukishima instantly wished he didn't.

  
Hinata was laying at the foot of the doors, reverted back to his human form. He was still sleeping, eyes closed and smooth-faced. His clothes were torn and stretched, though he still wore them as if they were simply hand-me-downs from a larger sibling. He was curled around himself, chin on criss-crossed wrists, mouth open and surrounded with dried blood.

  
Yep, a dangerous monster guarding the doors _was_ a justifiable reason not to go near the volleyball court.

  
"Do you think he's back to normal?" Yamaguchi broke the stunned silence.

  
Kageyama shrugged his shoulders. "I don't want to risk it. What if he ends up turning back into a nightmare hell-beast?"

  
The second-years, third-years and even Takeda also refused to go near Hinata, their much-needed morning-practise at risk of cancellation. It was only when Yachi arrived that things could move forward.

  
She had no problem in padding quietly up to the sleeping boy (at this point Tsukishima was wondering what kind of horrors Yachi saw at Yugigaoka with beasts like this running around) and kneeling beside him on the concrete. She gently shook the boy, mumbling at him to wake up. Hinata stirred, and when he did eventually open his eyes, the pupils were back to black, and the yellows of his eyes had gone back to white. He yawned, showing off those massive teeth of his (honestly how did nobody notice those fangs?) and sat up, rubbing his head as if just coming out of a bad dream.

  
"Yachi-san?" he mumbled, sleepily rubbing his eye. "What are you doing here?"

  
"Better question: what are _you_ doing here?" Yachi retorted. "Aren't you supposed to return home after your full-moon fiasco?"

  
"I'm not home?" Hinata echoed in confusion, finally looking around his surroundings. He noticed the entire team, and his eyes widened. "I didn't get away in time, did I?" He grabbed Yachi by the shoulders, startling her, his face panicked. "Please tell me I got away in time!"

  
A look of pain befell Yachi's face, and she couldn't look him in the eye. Hinata's breath hitched in his throat.

  
"Yachi-san," he said, almost too quiet to hear, yet the echo made it almost audible for the whole school. "Did I bite anyone? Did I hurt anyone? Did I kill anyone? Oh God, Yachi please, tell me, _what did I do?_ "

  
The pain in Hinata's voice made Tsukishima's gut twist and wring, and his wound throbbed in response, announcing that it was still there. He couldn't listen to that voice, right on the brink of lament, a state in which he never thought he'd hear it in. Where was his happy undertone, his tick of excitement, the reassuring statement that everything was going to be okay? This was not what Hinata was meant to sound like, never in a million years.

  
Yachi shook her head, a hand covering her face. "I couldn't stop you in time, everything happened so fast," she wept, "you- th...." she took a deep breath. "You bit... you bit...." The words wouldn't get past her throat, so she instead made a quiet, whimpering sound, one which Hinata seemed to understand.

  
His head whipped around, gaze locking onto Tsukishima.

  
Hinata didn't blink, and neither did Tsukishima. So many emotions poured out from those gleaming amber eyes, they nearly rivalled Niagara Falls in sheer volume. With a hiccup and a sob, Hinata broke down.

  
" _I'm so sorry_."

* * *

As the day drew on, the pain of the bite-wound had dulled down to an uncomfortable throbbing. The swarms of people he encountered were blurry, and he didn't remember a single interaction with anyone. His teachers' lessons went in one ear and out the other, the conversations of his classmates muted, even some of Yamaguchi's attempts to cheer him up went unheard.

  
The morning practise did end up running, however Tsukishima didn't go. Neither did Hinata, who wasn't in a stable mental state to anything, other than wail and clutch close to the manager-to-be. In school they were lucky enough not to interact, because Tsukishima didn't know what he'd do with himself if they did.

  
At lunch Tsukishima didn't move from his classroom, sulking at his desk with his music turned up max-volume, so loud he couldn't hear himself think, so loud Yamaguchi must hear it. His green-haired friend refused to leave his side, not even to buy juice from the vending machine below. They sat together, silently enjoying each other's company. He silently ate his rice, eyes unfocused and blurry. He jumped a little when his phone cut across his music with a message announcement.

  
He tilted it up, and his eyebrow raised.

  
**[Unsaved Number]**   
_Tsukishima could you meet me behind the school right now? It's urgent._

  
He looked at Yamaguchi, but he was lazily scrolling through Reddit memes and exhaling through his nose so he didn't notice his friend's growing anxiety. He should look for comfort, yes, but Tsukishima didn't want to burden him with petty stuff like this. And since when did he become helpless enough to not be able to reply to simple text messages? It was probably some new girl who wanted to confess a crush. Eh, anything to distract him.

  
**[Me]**   
_Who is this?_

  
**[Unsaved Number]**   
_It's Hinata._

  
Tsukishima's heart plummeted, and he bowed his head so low that his forehead touched the wooden desk. He thumped it one, quietly, and there was instantly a tapping on his shoulder, before his headphones were slipping from his ears.

  
"Tsukki are you alright?" Yamaguchi said worriedly, tilting his head to he could see Tsukishima clearer against the desk. In reply Tsukishima showed him the message. Yamaguchi bit his lip. "How did he get your number?"

  
Tsukishima decided to ask.

  
**[Me]**   
_How'd you get my number?_

  
Hinata replied instantly.

  
**[Unsaved Number]**   
_I got it from the team group chat._

  
"That makes sense," Yamaguchi gave a laugh at their own stupidity. Tsukishima nodded and lifted his head from the desk.

  
**[Me]**   
_And why should I go meet you at the back of the school?_

  
**[Unsaved Number]**   
_It's about the bite._

  
Somewhere deep inside, Tsukishima knew this moment would have to come. He _knew_ that he had to speak to Hinata, and about what happened last night. That was the last thing Tsukishima had ever wanted to do. He thumped his head against the desk again, drawing the attention of some of his classmates. His wound gave a hollow pulse, and he groaned quietly.

  
"I'll come with you if you want," Yamaguchi offered weakly, fiddling with his hands nervously.

  
Tsukishima nodded. "Yeah, that may be a good idea." He stood to his feet, shoving his stuff into his bag which he slung over his shoulder as he typed out a reply.

  
**[Me]**   
_I'll be there in two minutes._

  
So he pocketed his phone and padded uselessly out of the class, Yamaguchi following at his heel.

  
They walked rapidly down the stairs, side-by-side without a word. Tsukishima didn't even place his headphones back over his ears.

  
What could Hinata possibly want to tell him that he didn't already know? That he might be infected with a monster virus- bam, he'd already had a fully-fledged anxiety attack about that so no worries. That he was sorry? He'd wept about it in front of the gym.

  
He didn't have anything to apologise for, Tsukishima didn't blame him- strangely. Perhaps it was the animalistic way he moved that night, or the complete sorrow in his voice this morning that made Tsukishima feel pity for him.

  
_Oh God, Yachi please, tell me, what did I do?_

  
He didn't know, did he? Tsukishima was somehow convinced that _it wasn't Hinata_ who attacked him, he couldn't force himself to believe himself otherwise. It was that wolf, the one who knocked Hinata's cheerful soul from his body and stuffed something else in, that relentless killer with big teeth.

  
It _wasn't_ Hinata. Yet at the same time it _was_.

  
As promised, Hinata was waiting for him at the infamous back of the school, where a few third-year students had been busted for smoking weed right at the beginning of this year (it was a public school, had Tsukishima really expected these things _not_ to happen?). It wasn't closely monitored now, a perfect place for girls to confess to guys or for secret school cults to meet.

The boy was standing awkwardly, his mouth moving as if rehearsing what he wanted to say. He was almost shaking.

  
Tsukishima and Yamaguchi looked at each other, before approaching the boy. Their footsteps echoed around the walls and Hinata's shot up, surprised. "Hiiiiiii!" he said uncertainly, as if he doubted that they'd even arrive.

  
"Hey," Yamaguchi greeted him too, while Tsukishima just grunted. Instantly he wished to be anywhere but here. Even if Yamaguchi was here, he still felt a little scared.

  
Scared of this little, bouncing ball of ginger hair that was literally the sun personified and coincidentally the least frightening guy Tsukishima had ever met. Yet the wolf's face was nearly identical to Hinata's; the eyes were the same, even if Tsukshima couldn't imagine his human self with such hateful eyes and-

  
"Are you okay Tsukishima?" Hinata asked, still refusing to look him in the eye. "I... didn't hurt you too bad, did I?"

  
Tsukishima found a spider crawling up the wall more interesting to look at. "I mean, aside from nearly ripping my arm off, yeah not that bad." He got a nudge from Yamaguchi, who's silent gaze warned him not to be sarcastic.

  
Hinata deflated slightly. "I'm just glad I didn't kill you," he rubbed his arms. "Of course that's awful in its own sense."

  
"Hmm?"

  
"Did Yachi tell you about how the lycanthropy disease is passed on?"

  
Oh. Right. "Yeah, she did." He looked to Yamaguchi, who was now awkwardly standing by. Thank God he was here.

  
Hinata swallowed audibly. "I was wondering... if you..." he hesitated. "Wanted to come with me to the forest tonight... so if you do end up becoming a werewolf you don't end up-"

  
"No." Tsukishima didn't even think about it.

  
Hinata finally looked up at him, confused and maybe even a little hurt.

  
"Do you really realise how shady that sounds?" Tsukishima crossed his arms, trying not to wince at the pain. He stared Hinata down with a penetrating gaze, nailing him to the floor. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

  
But Hinata returned the glare. "So you're saying that you'd rather potentially Turn when you're close to other people you could kill?"

  
Tsukishima shut up.

  
"He's right Tsukki," Yamaguchi finally said. "If it were me, I would want to be as far away from my family as possible."

  
His mother and father would be home that night, and Atikeru was coming home too- if Tsukishima physically hurt any of them his family would never forgive him. Hell, he'd never forgive himself.

  
He sighed in annoyance. " _Fine_. What time should I meet you?"

  
Hinata looked at his watch. "It's spring... the moon rises at about 6 o'clock... so I'd say right after school. Is... is that okay?"

  
Tsukishima nodded stiffly. "It's fine." He pressed his lips into a tight line. "Where... is this forest exactly?"

  
"It's on the outskirts of town," Hinata reassured him, with one of his smiles. "It's not that far away."

  
It didn't matter where this damn forest was. Tsukishima didn't want to go. He didn't want to go with Hinata, a dumb hothead who got on his nerves (and a dangerous monster on top of that) who he would never spend time in the first place. Why couldn't it be someone more tolerable with such deep secrets? Like Yachi, or any of the third-years, or the second-years on the sidelines, or the hot Shimizu-senpai? Anyone other than this dumbass.

  
Gosh, this really wasn't ideal, was it?

* * *

As the sun lowered after their awaited practise-match with Seijoh, Tsukishima waited for Hinata. For the first time since middle-school he didn't walk home with Yamaguchi. The green-hair slunk home with Kageyama instead, since he was still irrationally afraid of walking home alone and Kageyama-company was better than no-company. As much as Tsukishima almost strangled the idea, he let it slide so Yamaguchi could at least feel a little safer.

  
But if the supernaturals really did exist then maybe Yamaguchi's fear of walking home alone wasn't so irrational- who knew what else hid in those shadows? Beasts much bigger, much more terrifying than Hinata.

  
Were the kitsune real? That was a creature from Japanese mythology and there'd have to be some still in their place of origin. What about dinosaurs? Where they not extinct after all?

  
"Tsukishima!"

  
Tsukishima recognised that voice. He had expected it, yet it still came as a surprise. It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about about the bite; he had, the uncertainty gnawing at the back of his mind. Yet he dreaded that voice so much it nearly made him sick.

  
"Are you ready?" Hinata asked him innocently, the setting sun making his hair glow even more orange than it looked in midday.

  
He nodded wordlessly. He'd already sent a text to his mum, telling her that he'd be spending the night over at a new friend's house to help them study. His stomach twisted when she sent her happy reply. It wasn't the first time he'd lied to her (what teenager didn't hide things from their parents?) but this time it really stung.

  
Maybe he was being stupid- there was a chance that all this was a false alarm and he didn't have to have her worry in the first place.

  
So that's how Tsukishima found himself walking along the empty roads side-by-side with Hinata in complete, awkward silence. The little ginger lead them out of town, down the snaking roads. Eventually a massive forest could be seen, and the road went boldly into it, across the mountain and to Hinata's town, an occasional car passed by, not even sparing a second thought.

  
"That's it," Hinata suddenly said, his voice filling the silence. Up to this point he'd been strangely silent. He didn't know if he preferred Hinata silent, or his usual, jumpy self. The latter was annoying, the former was rather unsettling.

  
Hinata suddenly looked into Tsukishima's eyes, and gave him the most tearful look anyone ever bore. "I'm so sorry Tsukishima," he whispered, voice wavering. "I'm so sorry." He pressed a palm into his eye and hiccupped. "I didn't want to hurt you, I didn't want to curse you, I'm so sorry Tsukishima I-"

  
"Hey," Tsukishima tapped his head with a long finger to stop his rambling. "You already apologised, don't do it again. Apologies coming from you are annoying."

  
Hinata jolted and tore free from the finger probing a little too hard into the weak spot on his head.

  
"Besides," Tsukishima cleared his throat. "If you really didn't know what you were doing, then it wasn't your fault. I'm more shocked than mad, to be perfectly honest."

  
Hinata shook his head. "It _is_ my fault. I _knew_ it was the full moon, I _knew_ I would lose control-" they walked into the forest. "-and I still came. I put you all at risk just because I wanted to play in that _stupid_ practise match." He took a deep breath. "I thought Yachi could control me, but I bet I hurt her too. She had a bruise on her collarbone."

  
Right, Hinata did shove Yachi that night too.

  
"Well I'm glad you didn't kill me," Tsukishima insisted. "I'm fine."

  
"No you aren't!" Hinata raised his voice, completely crying now. He wasn't an ugly crier, Tsukishima noticed that now, but that didn't mean it was a nice sight to watch. Rather, it just filled the air around with unmatchable sorrow. "I cursed you to be a monster, Tsukishima, what don't you understand about that!?"

  
Tsukishima did understand, and was scared about the venom that was coursing through his veins as they spoke. Though, despite trying to, Tsukishima couldn't bring himself up to blame the little ginger boy; not when Hinata already blamed himself.

  
He tapped his head, a little lighter this time. "If it does end up that I'm cursed, you're going to have to help me through it."

  
The sad look in Hinata's eyes was joined by a look of determination. "Of course I will!" He shouted. "I know more about werewolves than you do!" He bounced off the road and into the trees, leaving Tsukishima to roll his eyes with a tiny smile.

  
"That might be about the only thing."

  
The forest was colossal, the trees towering over him like silent giants whispering secrets through their branches. Tsukishima soon found himself pushing further and further into unknown territory which was thicker than twelve-day-old gravy. He had to tug and shove through the thicket, feel the thin branches whip at his arms, but Hinata seemed to pass through as if he were simply walking along smooth pavement.

  
A few times Tsukishima lost sight of the redhead, but followed his voice once he realised that Tsukishima wasn't as fast as he was.

  
Eventually they reached the edge of a cliff, the view beyond composed of just trees, all the way to the horizon. The sun was just visible above the treetops, making them appear black. The sky behind was painted red and orange as if it was on fire.

  
"Pretty, isn't it?" Hinata took a seat at the cliffside and leaned back to look at him, upside down.

  
"I'm surprised you can appreciate things that aren't related to volleyball." Tsukishima stood at the edge, looking down. There was a lake down there behind the trees, as well as a little meadow which waved over like the ocean under the wind. He placed down his bag and picked out a song before placing his headphones over his ears.

  
The sun set below the horizon, and the sky turned navy, and then black. The stars had began to come out, twinkling ignorantly at him. Tsukishima watched the sky change, and breathed in the fresh forest air. The smell was so much different from everywhere else, the distinct scent of pine and oak tickling its way up his nostrils. It smelled wildly different from the seemingly forest-scented air freshener his dad insisted on using in the bathroom. Fake advertising at its finest.

  
He closed his eyes against the world and took off his headphones, instead listening to the nightly forest sounds. There was a raven crowing in the distance, as well as a weird girlish-cry that didn't sound too normal.

  
"The hell was that?" he asked.

  
"Oh those are faeries," Hinata replied easily. Then his voice soured. "Don't trust them. One of them tried tried to take Natsu when she was a baby."

  
"Natsu?"

  
"My younger sister."

  
"Oh."

  
Tsukishima never delved into any mythology (aside from reading the Percy Jackson series) because it was a serious waste of time. Why lose brain power on something that doesn't exist? Of course these things had to exist now, and Tsukishima hated not knowing about things.

  
A white-hot pain shot through his head then. There was no buildup, no forewarning. It quickly spread through his entire body like the plague, lighting his veins on fire and infecting every organ. If he thought the wound was painful, it couldn't hold a candle to this. Tsukishima gasped out, trying to get some air into his tightening lungs. It was hard to breathe. His bones were set aflame, burning at him from the inside, wringing his insides. He wasn't aware where the screaming was coming from until he realised his own mouth was hanging open.

  
Tsukishima opened his eyes, his vision swimming even behind his glasses, yet he could still see the not-quite-full moon shining brightly against the dark sky, even if it blurred and doubled as if he threw his glasses to the ground. That moonlight burned his eyes as if it was sunlight, so he screwed his eyes tightly shut and stumbled back on shaking legs. Immediately his legs failed him, bending severely out of shape.

  
The last thing Tsukishima saw was the ground coming up to meet him.


	4. The Wolven Jotters

Yamaguchi was one of those children who believed in magic. Many of his memories included catching butterflies and pretending they were fairies, or looking for monsters when he was out for walks with his family. Of course, like every other kid, Yamaguchi grew out of that interest as soon as his age hit double digits. The real world killed his previously loyal belief in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus too, and he bitterly accepted that nothing ever existed in the first place.

  
So to say that it was rather a mindblow to discover that he was right all along was a severe understatement.

  
But did he want to be right?

  
Tsukki didn't show up at the place where they met up everyday for years to walk to school, and Yamaguchi waited long enough to make himself late for saturday practise.

  
"Oh, Yamaguchi, you're here," Sawamura-san greeted him upon his arrival, and Yamaguchi bent at a ninety-degree angle, apologising his lateness with a loud exclamation. "It's okay, Yamaguchi, don't worry yourself about it."

  
As Yamaguchi lifted his head and began to straighten, he caught Kageyama's midnight blue eye. The setter's face twitched, and his mouth moved silently with a furrow of his eyebrows, he asked ' _where are they?_ '

  
Yamaguchi answered with a quick raise of his shoulders; ' _I thought they were already here_ '. But he answered his own question with a quick glance around the gym. There was a severe lack of blonde hair, and Azumane-san was the tallest in the room. Tsukki wasn't here. Come to think of it, where was the mop of the ginger hair that usually stuck by Kageyama?

  
Had something happened to them in that forest?

  
"Do you at least know where Yachi-san is?" Kageyama asked as Yamaguchi migrated to his side for the warm ups. "She didn't go with them, did she?"

  
Did she? It wasn't completely impossible- Yachi went to a school full of these creatures so who knew? Maybe Hinata had brought her along for moral and all other types of support? A jealous pulse drummed under his skin. Shouldn't've he gone too? He was Tsukki's best friend, he would've been excellent support and seeing supernatural things would've been so cool. Yamaguchi shrugged his shoulders again, forcefully telling himself that being jealous was stupid. He didn't even know if Yachi did come with them. Sigh, Yamaguchi really should enter an Olympic event for jumping to conclusions.

  
At least he wasn't the only one who knew almost nothing; the whole team was in the dark. It didn't do anyone any good however, when even Kinnoshita and Narita (guys who preferred to linger in the sidelines and watch events unfold rather than involve themselves) approached him, hopeful for any tea-spilling, and were told that Yamaguchi didn't know any more than they did.

  
Apparently Suga-san did research about werewolves, and had an in-depth conversation with Sawamura-san about what could and couldn't be true. Tanaka-san even came up with a few wild theories of his own. Yamaguchi hung close to Kageyama's side that morning, thankful that he at least didn't constantly theorise every worst scenario. Both of them shared each other's company in quietness, occasionally offering each other water or a gentle hand pat on the shoulder. It was nice... understanding someone like that.

  
It was no secret to everyone on the team that Kageyama had grown rather attached to the little shrimp. Yamaguchi's closeness with Tsukki wasn't a secret either. And sharing worry seemed to make it just that easier to cope.

  
The doors opened again in the middle of practise, and in stepped Yachi sporting a small, sheepish smile and was already apologising for her lateness a thousand times as she stepped into the gym. Tanaka and Nishinoya would've charged at her then and there if Ennoshita hadn't caught them by their shirt collars and kept them back. The dom of the second years however couldn't save their little manager from the barrage of questions that greeted her.

  
"What happened!?"

  
"Do you know where those two are?"

  
"Are they dead?"

  
Yachi squeaked and a visible tremor went through her body, her hair standing on end as if she had just stuck a fork into an electrical socket. In an instant Shimizu was at her side, a glare fending the boys back into silence.

  
At this point Yamaguchi was convinced that God himself created this person.

  
Yachi visibly gulped, fiddling with her hands, before forcing out- "Tsukishima-kun's a werewolf."

  
Well.

  
To be honest it was sorta cool, or at least it would've been if Tsukki wasn't so terrified of it. In all the years he'd known him, Yamaguchi had never, _never ever_ , heard him so scared and distressed, even if it was over the phone. And when _Tsukishima Kei_ of all things and people is worrying about something, you know it is 120% serious.

  
"Do you know if he's alright?" Yamaguchi asked first- the rest of the team had been shocked into an uncomfortable silence.

  
In reply Yachi pulled out her phone and flashed the screen up; and Suga-san took it gently to read out the texts aloud.

  
"This is all I know," said she.

  
**[Me]**   
_How are things holding up?_

  
**[Puppy]**   
_He's a werewolf and he's huge_

  
**[Me]**   
_Well crap  
Is everything okay there?_

  
**[Puppy]**   
_So far???????  
Did I seriously act so out of control when I first turned???_

  
**[Me]**   
_Trust me, you did  
What're you doing now?_

  
**[Puppy]**   
_I'm going to follow him and make sure he doesn't get killed  
Tell Captain we won't be coming to saturday practise_

  
**[Me]**   
_Roger that, puppy_

  
**[Puppy]**   
_Why are you so much meaner through text!??  
I thought you stopped calling me that!!!!_

  
**[Me]**   
_It's habit at this point don't judge me_

  
"You call Hinata 'puppy'?" Suga-san raised his eyebrow after he finished reading. The girl squeaked and took back the phone quickly, nervously stammering as a cute blush spread quickly over her cheekbones.

  
"O-Oh I promise i-i-it's nothing! E-everyone in our junior high called him that. It's actually slang, f-for a tame werewolf that acts m-m-more like a pet dog than a bloodthirsty beast."

  
Ennoshita gave a light laugh. "From what I've seen of Hinata's wolf-form, I'd've thought he was the latter."

  
Yachi suddenly flared up, attempting to bite her upper lip with her top teeth in a snarl horrifically similar to a werewolf's one. "That wasn't him," she snapped darkly at the second-year. "It was the moon's influence that was making him do those things."

  
_Hinata is not a monster, and I won't let you call him one._

  
The team stared at her wide-eyed. Woah. What a woman.

  
"Sorry," she quickly stammered, drawing back and shaking in realisation. Her face twisted into; _oh God I've just blown up at someone on the team I'm probably going to be thrown to the streets and I'll be homeless and..._

  
Seriously. She must've spent too much time with Hinata, who also wore his emotions on his sleeve.

  
Thankfully for Yachi, Sawamura-san called for practise to be resumed, and the team returned to the court with the promise of yet another werewolf (as if he were some ironic and unwanted Christmas present or something).

  
The break couldn't come fast enough.

  
"Yachi-san?" Yamaguchi approached her hesitantly. "Are Hinata and Tsukki definitely alright?"

  
Yachi paused for a moment. "I'm sure they are," she reassured him. "Hinata knows that forest like the back of his hand, so I doubt he'd let Tsukishima-kun accidentally wander into a kelpie lake or into the Wasp's Nest."

  
_Kelpie lake? Wasp's Nest? What are those?_

  
"Oh I'm sure-" _that's a lie, no I'm not_ \- "but now that Tsukki's a werewolf, is everything fine now?"

  
Yachi sucked in a breath through her teeth, and Yamaguchi's hope dwindled like a dying flame.

  
"I'm pretty sure everything is going to be fine... eventually," Yachi began, and Yamaguchi wanted to slam his face into the nearest wall. "If there's anything I've learned about the lycanthropy disease, is that's worst stages are usually the earliest weeks after the victim's bitten, and that it's almost impossible to deal with by themselves."

  
"Tsukki's going to hate that."

  
Yachi and Yamaguchi shared a nervous smile.

  
"For-fortunately," Yachi stabbed the air with a finger. "I've brought our Wolven Jotters to school with me today, so we'll have a head-start with the whole 'dealing with the illness' thing."

  
"Wolven Jotters?"

  
"Yep! It was actually Izumin's idea," Yachi explained excitedly. She looked cute when she got excited. "Back when Hinata was first bitten, we needed all the help we could get, so we began writing stuff about the lycanthropy virus and werewolves in general, to help us get him and his disease under control." She smiled, and for a moment Yamaguchi actually believed that everything would be okay.

  
They parted with the promise of looking at said jotters after practise in the clubroom, and Yamaguchi once again found himself restless. He kept peaking up at the clock, making sure they weren't frozen in time. The clock wasn't moving. He grimaced- at least the hands couldn't go backwards.

  
He'd find out how to help Tsukki, it was just a matter of when.

* * *

  
'When' turned out to be two hours later, practise ended and thankfully it fell on the second years to clean up that day (Yamaguchi was pretty sure the absence of half of the first years bailed them from the responsibility). He'd never changed so quickly in his life, offering a quick goodbye to his teammates before running out to get to the clubroom.

  
Yachi was already there, rummaging through her bag when he came in. She greeted him when he set down his stuff in the corner and sat cross-legged across her. She pulled out four normal schoolwork books, each numbered accordingly one to four. Upside down Yamaguchi read the titles printed in such perfect handwriting he'd never seen before. 'Wolven Tongue Dictionary', 'Wolven Tongue Dictionary Part 2', 'Werewolf Biology + Customs' and 'Taming Werewolves'.

  
"Wow, you really do have everything figured out," Yamaguchi gasped as he took 'Werewolf Biology + Customs' into his hands. On the bottom right of the page there were signed four names- Yachi Hitoka; Hinata Shoyo; Sekimukai Koji; Izumi Yukitaka. Those latter two Yamaguchi didn't recognise, though he'd heard Yachi mention 'Izumin' just a few hours prior.

  
He flicked through the pages, and to his surprise he found everything to be _incredibly_ detailed. Neat, coloured diagrams and in-depth explanations that were somehow more advanced than any of his own biology books, some of it made Yamaguchi feel a little dumb to be honest. Labelled drawings of claws, cells, teeth, eyes, everything under the moon was in there. Woah.

  
"Izumin's older sister helped us with that one, she's studying to become a surgeon in uni," Yachi explained, flicking through the taming book to remind herself of things she might've forgotten. "Especially with the cellular biology bit- I remember her letting us look at Hinata's genome sequence and see the where the lycanthropy virus had inserted itself. It was _really_ cool!"

  
"Yeah, you guys wrote about it here," Yamaguchi pointed to a rather large and complex passage in the book. "My gosh, you really should get these published!"

  
"You really think so? I doubt many publishers would take in a legit biology guide about something most people don't think exist."

  
"Fair point."

  
Yachi gave a chuckle. "It might be a good idea to start with these, however." She picked up the remaining two jotters.

  
Wolven Tongue? So werewolves had a language of their own? It made sorta sense? It would be strange if a wolf started speaking Japanese. It definitely would be. Would it even be possible for someone with a long muzzle like that make the noises a flat, human mouth could?

  
"Can you speak wolven?" he asked Yachi. She nodded and demonstrated by making a low whistle, like a wooden windchime, followed by a few high-pitched yips all varied in tone and rhythm (sorta like Pikachu talk) before ending with a rolling 'no' sound.

  
Okay.

  
What.

  
When Yamaguchi asked, Yachi just beamed. "I said 'Hello, my name's Yachi Hitoka, nice to meet you'!"

  
"That sounds weird as all shit," Kageyama's voice made them both jump and turn to watch Kageyama letting himself into the clubroom.

  
"Kageyama!? What are you doing here?"

  
The setter nailed them both down with a glare, before his face softened and he said honestly; "I figured you two were doing something about the werewolf situation- can I study with you?"

  
Yamaguchi's eyebrows had jumped off his face. Did he seriously hear that come out of _Kageyama's_ mouth?

  
"You know you don't have to-"

  
"I know," said Kageyama, padding over to sit down beside the pinch server. "But I also know this is very important, so I want to be of some help too."

  
Yamaguchi smiled at him, then proudly showed him the biology book, and struggled not to laugh at the confused expression that swept his face. "Are you sure?" he teased.

  
"I'll pick it up eventually!" Kageyama huffed, offended.

  
Yachi just sighed and instead pointed to one of the dictionaries with a pen she pulled from her bag. Yamaguchi and Kageyama leaned in to look, and to Yamaguchi's surprise there were actual words written down. Except they were so strange- symbols which looked nothing like Kanji or Latin, with weird accents and patterns which made seemingly no sense. There were more symbols than in a traditional abc alphabet, which had 26 letters- this one seemed to have at least 40, and that wasn't even counting the differences with the accents. The only thing familiar about it was the handwriting, which was undoubtedly Hinata's.

  
"Please tell me there won't be any exams on this," Kageyama whimpered.

  
"How do you even pronounce these?" Yamaguchi asked at the very same time.

  
And Yachi began to explain that no, there wouldn't be any exams on this topic, and that it all depended on the sound your mouth made. "When Hinata first turned he started writing like this instead of normal Japanese; a new teacher freaked out that it was gang symbols and threatened to throw him out until everyone had to explain to her that was just how wolves put their language down on paper." She laughed a little at some unseen memory, then pointed at a word. 'Please' it read in Kanji. "This one is pronounced like a sneeze, for example."

  
"A sneeze!?"

  
"How do you say hello?"

  
"How about 'hello, please don't kill me'?"

  
That 'study session' was the strangest Yamaguchi had ever been a part of; a massive part of him hoped nobody was left on campus to hear the strange noises that were emerging from the clubroom- otherwise they'd assume they were all part of some sort of furry cult, or just not right in the head. But finally Yamaguchi understood what study sessions must feel like for Kageyama and Hinata on a normal day- most of the time he was lost as Yachi was literally speaking a foreign language.

  
Some sounds even Yachi couldn't pronounce, reaching such high pitches or so complex that a human tongue couldn't physically make those motions. But at this point he was beyond embarrassment as he tried and failed all over again to say 'are you okay'. It was much easier to say 'gommen' than make a screeching sound which had a lizard-like tongue flick in the middle; he just ended up spitting. He tossed back his head and moaned in complaint after the seventh failed attempt.

  
"What!?" Yachi yelped, covering her mouth with a hand.

  
"Eh? What did I what?"

  
"You said 'mate me' but much ruder..."

  
Yamaguchi's face grew hot. "I didn't-"

  
He was interrupted by deep, howling laughter and a hand on his shoulder. "God, if you groan like that then you must've been confusing all the wolves around you!" Kageyama laughed out with a smirk.

  
"Oh shut up," he barked without any malice, but he was already snickering along with him, dragging Yachi into the giggles too.

  
By the end of the day Yamaguchi was proud to announce that he had gotten the hang of pronouncing the basic phrases. Like, literally the proudest moment of his life to date. He absolutely refused to listen to Kageyama's cynicism that they had just been making dumb noises for God knows how long.

  
They parted ways with Yachi, who cheerfully waved them goodbye as she almost skipped happily in the opposite direction. She had let him borrow both dictionaries, as he planned to practise when he was home; quietly so his parents wouldn't question what the fuck he was doing up in his room- he was "at that age" so hopefully they'd leave him alone. Then again he could only imagine how that conversation would go.

  
_Your father and I are very concerned about the sounds we hear coming from your room- you can tell us, we won't get mad- are you a furry?_

  
That was not something Yamaguchi ever wanted to imagine ever again. He shuddered.

  
A low whistle made him snap from his thoughts, his mind instantly supplying him with the definition 'hello'. He looked over to Kageyama, who was smiling back warmly at him- he looked less scary when he smiled unconsciously, and it was such a nice sight to look at.

  
Yamaguchi smiled back at him, opening his own mouth. Yip, yip, yap, yap?

  
_How are you doing today?_

  
A soft-voiced mrrow answered him. Yap, yap, yip?

  
_Doing quite fine, how bout you?_

  
Yamaguchi's tongue reverberated at the roof of his mouth in a purr.

  
_I'm good!_

  
They walked on, trying out the phrases they'd learned that day.

  
_Where you going?_

_  
I'm going back home!_

_  
Please don't kill me._

_  
I won't kill you._

_  
Who are you?_

_  
I'm Kageyama._

_  
Well I'm Yamaguchi!_

  
They only stopped when a passing woman stared at them with the most weirded-out look, and they remembered that they were making strange noises in public. That realisation shut them up for a moment, before both burst out laughing again.

  
They walked some more (they'd found out that they lived not far from each other and shared a long way home), before Yamaguchi's phone buzzed. He pulled it out his pocket and clicked on the message app.

  
**[Tsukki]**   
_I'm still alive. Quit worrying_

  
"Oh thank God!" he exclaimed out loud, and when Kageyama asked what was happening, he tilted his screen so he could see.

  
The setter scowled. "Ah. So he talks only in the evenings. Nice to know."

  
"Oh don't be so cynical," Yamaguchi told him off before typing out a quick reply.

  
**[Me]**   
_How could I not worry?  
Are you okay? Where are you?_

  
There was a little pause.

  
**[Tsukki]**  
I've got no fucking clue

  
"Well that's helpful, ain't it?" Kageyama commented, earning a 'shh' from Yamaguchi.

  
**[Me]**  
Is Hinata with you?

  
**[Tsukki]**   
_He went out to get us food_

  
**[Me]**   
_Well good. That means you won't starve  
When will you be back?_

  
There was another long pause. So much so that Yamaguchi would've managed to slowly jog all the way up Karasuno's Heartbreak Hill.

  
**[Me]**   
_Tsukki?_

  
There were a few more heartbeats of silence.

  
**[Tsukki]**   
_No idea_

  
"For heaven's sake just give me a normal answer!" Yamaguchi yelled at his phone, startling both the setter and some crows which were sitting idly on the phoneline above them. This wasn't like Tsukki at all. He always knew what he was doing, where he was going. Unless he genuinely didn't know- then he wouldn't just admit it.

  
**[Me]**   
_Wherever you are, be safe, okay?_

  
**[Tsukki]**   
_Calm down mama bear  
I'll be fine_

  
Now that was more like Tsukki. Yamaguchi sighed, nerves calmed a little more. Thank the heavens. Thank everyone and everything that he was okay. "It feels like I can finally breathe again," he said out loud, to the darkening, cloudless sky.

  
"Come on then Yamaguchi," Kageyama had already taken a few steps forward, waiting for Yamaguchi to follow. Yamaguchi did so, pocketing the phone and continuing to walk home.

  
There would be a clear starry sky tonight.


	5. The Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big Yeet. Enjoy early chapter!

Slowly, ever so slowly consciousness seeped back into Tsukishima's body, and his eyelid flickered against dawnlight. How long had be been out? A thousand years? A heartbeat?

  
Tsukishima blinked open his eyes, feeling around for his glasses. His fingertips brushed soft, bendy items before finally grasping his glasses and pressing them against his face.

  
He was laying on a nest made of feathers, moss and hay, soft, fluffy and covering him like sleeping bag. For a moment he debated laying down his head and going back to sleep, but then the real world came knocking and he sat bolt upright, scattering the feathers and hay all over the stone floor.

  
He was in some sort of domesticated cave, not much bigger than their clubroom back at school. Strange, blue roots lined the uneven dirt walls, and a bike was leaning idly against one of them. Fur, bones and small blue branches were piled in one corner, schoolbags in another.

  
What was this place? Tsukishima blinked again, head turning to follow the light.

  
The entrance was as he expected of a cave, wide open and yawning, as if he were sitting in the mouth of some beast. Lichen and vines drooped over the top of the entrance, billowing in a slight breeze and partially covering the view of an overgrown forest floor. And sitting off-centre at one side was a strangely familiar beast.

  
Tsukishima's pulse spiked as he recognised this monster, and his hand flashed up to his shoulder, expecting it to burn and remind him that it was still there- however it didn't. Huh? It was welcome and all, but wasn't that a little strange? He lifted the collar of his stretched shirt to take a peak at the wound.

  
It was nothing more than a series of darker markings now, irregular ellipses arranged in a neat semi-circle, as if his shoulder way nothing but a mold. He ran his finger against them, and felt nothing but smooth skin. No bumps, no scars, nothing.

  
Huh.

  
His fidgeting must've alerted the beast, for when he looked back up, the wolf had turned round to face him. The light seeping in from behind him made him look at least twice as big as he really was, and his odd, humanoid features belonged on a drunk artist's canvas, not in real life. However now that he could get a better look at him without- y'know, getting _mauled_ by him- he could see the wolf's other features.

  
He had black-tipped ears, as well as a series of darker orange shapes along his side, in more-or-less the same shape as Tsukishima's own marking. And his pupils, while they were furious and glowing yellow when he first saw him, now they were curious, slightly cautious and black.

  
For a while neither moved, partaking in an unspoken staring contest with no real competitive spirit. The wolf tilted his head to the side. Tsukishima copied his movement, his body relaxing slightly. Was something going to happen or what? Was it?

  
The scent coming off this wolf strongly resembled ozone, like that of an oncoming thunderstorm. However it was calm, the breeze gentle and the storm was far away. It was safe. He was safe.

  
"You're awake," the wolf suddenly spoke, his mouth opening to make a single muppet-like move. So he _can_ talk. In Hinata's voice no less.

  
That's because this _was_ Hinata.

  
"Oh, yeah. I am," Tsukishima nodded, and let his shoulders fall. "Where are we?"

  
"This is my territory," Hinata explained. "It's not big, but it's all I've got."

  
"Yeah, I figured. This whole place reeks of you," he jabbed. It didn't reek, the smell was pleasant and reassuring, but Tsukishima decided to take that opinion to his grave.

  
The wolf flattened his ears at him and hit his tail against the stone floor. "Well you don't smell any better, baka."

  
Tsukishima rolled his eyes with a smile, before pushing himself up to stand and pad over to him. Hinata was always far too easy to be riled up. Glad that didn't change after the revelation. "What do I smell like then?" he asked, half to wheedle him, half curiously.

  
Hinata visibly hesitated as Tsukishima stood beside him at the entrance. The woods beyond were massive, thick and sturdy, massive oaks overshadowed ashes and birches, and nothing could be seen even between them. They must be _really_ deep in the forest.

  
"You... You smell of a bakery in the morning... which is not that good a smell!" he added fiercely, though only achieving to look as dangerous as a pissed-off yarn-ball. How this guy managed to look like nightmare personified was a mystery Tsukishima didn't think he wanted to solve.

  
He breathed out, and asked the question that he most wanted to ask.

  
"Am I one of you?"

  
The wolf just blinked at him.

  
"Am I a werewolf?" Tsukishima repeated himself, forcing out the words through his harsh throat.

  
Hinata blinked again, then dropped his eye to the floor. It took him a few seconds to reply. "...Yes."

  
Tsukishima knew that answer was coming. He knew it, like he knew the sun was going to rise again. Yet it was like expecting a punch to the face, and Tsukishima just closed his eyes in disbelief.

  
He was a werewolf.

  
Well that was just fucking perfect.

  
Tsukishima turned his eyes to the forest before them. Would he run around this place every full moon? He internally grimaced; he wasn't looking forward to prancing about on four legs in front of... anyone for that matter.

  
_I'm a werewolf._

  
The fact was burned right into his mind, screaming at him. He wanted to run. Could he run? Maybe he could hide it forever, step into the gym and tell everyone it was all fine and keep his monstrosity to the night? Another voice in his head made sure he knew that wouldn't be possible.

  
What was going to happen to him? Was he going to become a monster? Lift a tooth to hurt someone? Could he just stay here, hide in this burrow forever and never admit to being a monster?

  
"Should... should I bring you breakfast?" Hinata broke the silence. "You must be pretty hungry, huh?"

  
"Well yes," Tsukishima agreed, but before he could fit in any more words, Hinata had already raced out into the wilderness, his orange pelt disappearing under bracken-covered forest floor.

  
Alone again.

  
Tsukishima stared at the place where the wolf's tail had snaked away, before clicking his tongue and returning to sit onto the nest. It had lost some of its warmth, but it didn't matter. It was soft and right now he needed to lay down. Think things through. He was good at that.

  
_Question One: Where am I?  
Answer: I don't know._

  
_Question Two: What's gonna happen now?_  
 _Answer: I don't know._

  
_Question Three: What happened last night?_   
_Answer: I don't know. (Again for fuck's sake?)_

  
_Question Four: Can I turn back into a normal human?_   
_Answer: Probably not._

  
_Question Five: Will my parents accept me being a dog?_   
_Answer: They didn't throw out Atikeru when he came out last year, so they'll probably not kick me out..._

  
_Question Six: Was Hinata wearing clothes when I spoke with him earlier?_   
_Answer: No. Oh God, no he wasn't. But he's an animal... isn't that normal...?_

  
_Question Seven: Where's Hinata gonna get breakfast from? We're in the middle of a forest._   
_Answer: There must be civilisation close by, except I have no idea where it is._

  
Tsukishima sighed loudly to himself, finding his usual calm 'ask-himself-questions' method to be completely useless. Not-knowing about things was a definite no-no in his book. When was Hinata getting back? How long was he gone already? A few minutes? An hour?

  
It was... lonely without him. The walls of the cave seemed to press in on him like convulsing insides, only being kept back by the still-strong smell of Hinata. Did he always smell like that, or was his sense of smell amplified now that he was a dog? Probably.

  
His nose picked up another scent, one that made his stomach grumble and remind him how hungry he really was. He inhaled again, wondering what it was, but it was definitely something delicious. He sat up, mouth watering.

  
Hinata moved exactly like a panther, his lithe body glimmering in the sunlight. His expression was proud, tail lifted high as he pushed through the curtain of lichen. In his mouth there hung something large and limp, white-feathered with traces of red.  
"The hell is that!?" Tsukishima exclaimed, though he already had a good guess.

  
Hinata trotted up to him happily, and dropped the still-warm animal on his lap. It was still warm- ugh... but it smelled _delicious_.

  
"It's goose!" Hinata announced, standing back with a wagging tail. "I have permission to hunt on the Leshy grounds; they don't seem to mind me prowling around as much as they did at first."

  
Tsukishima stared at the dead goose, he could see the puncture marks on its neck where blood stained the feathers, where Hinata had snapped its neck with those same sharp teeth that were in his shoulder the day before.

  
Half of him wanted to turn away and vomit, but the other half purred at the offered food. Could he eat this? His stomach growled.

  
"Do you seriously expect me to eat this?" Tsukishima snapped at him instead. "This is literally a dead bird!"

  
Hinata's wagging tail stilled to a stop, and his panting mouth closed. "You eat meat, don't you? This is just the purest form of it." He cocked his head to the side, and Tsukishima hated how he looked more and more like an ordinary pet dog. "C'mon, eat it, it won't do you any harm."

  
"I'll pass," Tsukishima pushed the goose away from him, grimacing at the feathers and blood left on his torn clothes. The half that was telling him to vomit was winning. He'd make a terrible werewolf, not that he'd mind. Not being a werewolf at all would've been ideal.

  
"Then you won't mind... if I have it?" Hinata asked, giving the goose a hungry stare that Tsukishima did not want on him at all costs.

  
"By all means, go for it."

  
Hinata wasted no time in dragging the dead bird towards himself and digging into it, exposing blood-red meat and organs which Hinata tore through with ease and ate as if it was a normal meal served at a school canteen.

  
Oh God it was disgusting; how easily the body ripped apart, how easily Hinata's teeth cut through the flesh. They stripped the meat clean off the bones, leaving them clear and white. Tsukishima tried very hard not to imagine himself in the goose's place.

  
Those teeth still freaked Tsukishima out.

  
"I didn't manage to get a second one," Hinata was mumbling between mouthfuls. "The Leshy didn't let me in for long since they're still on the case of who cut down their most loved sycamore. I hope they find him soon, they loved that tree- Tsukishima?" He lifted his head to look at him, suddenly changing his mind. "You have the rest. You can't starve yourself."

  
"What part of 'I'm not eating that' don't you understand? It's a raw, dead thing!" Tsukishima barked at him, even though his stomach made it very clear that he wasn't as opposed to that idea as he wanted to show.

  
However Hinata was horrifically stubborn, another thing Tsukishima found incredibly annoying. He tossed the goose onto his lap again, and Tsukishima nearly leapt out of his skin. "I've left you the best parts."

  
"That's disgusting!"

  
"How would you know if you never tried it!?" Hinata growled, pulling back his lips to show off those freaky teeth of his. His ears flattened, and even his gums showed. " _Eat_."

  
Tsukishima's breath stopped in his throat. A phantom pain shot through his shoulder then, and he lurched backwards from that wolf. Hinata blinked, before stopping his growling and sitting back.

  
"Sorry," he apologised, hanging his head. "I just don't want you to starve."

  
"Yeah, don't growl at me in the future, it freaks me out," Tsukishima snapped, trying to pretend he wasn't afraid but doing such a piss-poor job at it a fucking two-year-old could see through his bullshit.

  
"But you need to eat."

  
Tsukishima palmed his forehead. "If I eat this, will you get out of my face?"

  
Hinata backed off, sitting down and curled his tail around his paws, watching intently. He waited.

  
Tsukishima sighed, reluctantly lifting the dead goose up to his mouth. It smelled enticing, as if the goose itself was beckoning him to take a bite, so Tsukishima screwed his eyes closed and sank his own teeth into the food.

  
It wasn't awful like he expected it to be, and it was actually quite tasty and the texture was strangely appealing, and soon he was taking another bite, and then another. He decided to ignore Hinata's purring laugh. "See! It isn't that bad! That's a lesson that you should listen to me more!"

  
"Nope. Not a chance shrimp."

  
When he finished, Hinata tossed the skin onto the pile of fur and bones, and shook himself before turning to stare at Tsukishima again. "Well? What do you want to do now? I could take you home if-"

  
"No," Tsukishima objected quickly. "I'm not comfortable with having that talk with my family yet. I doubt they'd take me being a mythical creature well." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I'd like to postpone that shitshow for as long as I can."

  
Hinata's ear flicked, and then he gave his signature goofy smile. "Come with me then!"

  
"Huh?"

  
However the ginger wolf already had an idea, and he was already bouncing, his back in a neat arch. "Well you can't stay cooped up in here for the whole day! You've got to see the forest! Oh goodness, you need to meet the Leshy family and see the entrance to the Wasp Nest and know where the kelpies hide so you don't get eaten by them and maybe we'll even be lucky enough to see the cervitaur herd and-"

  
"I absolutely can stay in the same place for the whole day," Tsukishima objected, already regretting his decision to stay here. The lengths he'd go to avoid his problems.

  
"No you can't!" Hinata barked, "Besides, this is my territory, so what I say- goes."

  
Tsukishima wanted to argue, but he realised that he would be taking advantage of Hinata's hospitality; the guy already took him into his house- or territory- on a whim. He sighed and stood to his feet. "Alright fine, where are we going?"

  
Without another word Hinata bounded out of the cave, and Tsukishima was forced to scramble after him.

  
The cave was underneath a huge larch tree which had veins of blue running between its bark, but Tsukishima didn't manage to get a good look at it before he nearly ran smack-dab into another trunk. The forest was thick, the bracken whipping against his legs and dead leaves crinkling under his feet as he ran.

  
_That sly bastard_ , Tsukishima thought to himself, irritated. Of course Hinata'd be the type to go for morning runs, and of course he'd drag him along. Where did he get this endless stamina from? He supposed he _could_ casually meander after him but Tsukishima knew that once he lost the sight of that fluffy orange tail he was lost.

  
That wouldn't do.

  
"For heaven's sake Hinata wait up!" he shouted after him, and thanked whoever was up there that the wolf did stop and look back at him, waiting for him to catch up. "Get a hold of yourself, I have two legs, you have four, I'm not as fast as you."

  
"Sorry," Hinata apologised, however returned the glare with one of his own. "But Tsukishima, you really shouldn't be shouting in the forest, you could bring unwanted attention to yourself that way."

  
Oh.

  
Right.

  
They padded on through the forest at a decent pace this time, and now that Tsukishima could properly look around did he notice things he'd never seen before. The way the light danced around the plants, the way the dew clung to spiderwebs with all their might, the way the tiny midges flew around each other in tiny clumps, too sleepy to seek out people to bite yet. Tsukishima had never been in any forest, despite living in the country all his life, and as much of the Grimm fairytales as he read, his knowledge about actually being and travelling in forests was rather limited. Something he needed to fix quite fast, because Hinata seemed to know exactly where he was going without any pathways and he, in turn, couldn't navigate with a gun to his head.

Nevertheless, this place was stunningly beautiful.

  
Eventually Hinata stopped at the edge of a clearing, not daring to cross the edge of the trees. "This is the gateway," he whispered in a hush, beckoning Tsukishima over with his tail. Tsukishima stepped forward and peaked through the thicket.  
It wasn't a big clearing, yet it somehow darker than the rest of the forest. Vines and lichen and weirdly-shaped mushrooms decorated this place as casually as a normal home living room. But the most damning of all was the hagstone cave entrance that yawned out of the ground like a hungry mouth, the inside glowing a faint, eerie blue. The hair on Tsukishima's arms and neck stood on end. This was the most 'gateway' looking gateway Tsukishima had ever seen.

  
"Where does it lead?" he asked curiously.

  
"The Wasp Nest, one of the nine faery kingdoms," Hinata replied. "They must've been dancing here not long ago, since they were shrieking like crazy last night." He made the sound of a displeased cat. "I don't like faeries, they like to play mind games."

  
"Mind games?"

  
"Yeah, like they'd find out what you want most, and they'd give it to you but with such a catch that you'd wish you never wanted the thing in the first place. Also the Wasp Nest is seriously weird. There's trees who's branches you could build a house on, and bugs the side of horses. Uhh it was horrible."

  
Tsukishima's eyebrows raised. "You've been through there?"

  
"In second year of junior high, yeah," Hinata nodded. "Worst decision I've ever made. I went down there with Yachi and Koji and Izumin; we've been invited by Queen Titania herself and we were only supposed to spend a summer weekend there. They begged us to stay longer, because that's what faeries do, but once we discovered that humans who stay in the faery lands for long begin to turn into something inhuman, we left. And when we came back it was winter and we had to dig our way through over a foot of snow."

  
"Didn't you guys realise how long you were gone?" Tsukishima gave the entrance a wary look.

  
"Time flows differently there," Hinata explained, already turning away to go around the cursed clearing. "For us it was only two days. Here, it was six months and we'd been listed as 'missing'. Not an experience I want to repeat." He shuddered at the memory before trotting on.

  
They walked silently on, crossing a shallow river and keeping their feet dry by stepping across boulders across the pebbled riverbed. The anxiety of meeting the gateway clung to Tsukishima for a few minutes, and he kept having to look over his shoulder to make sure nothing had followed them and to ease his own nerves. And only when they got far enough did he concentrate on walking silently onward.

  
It was a while before Hinata stopped again, this time at the edge of a path made of cobblestone. The trees beyond were purely pine, and there was no undergrowth to hide in, giving way instead to a floor of browning needles. Despite this change, the trees were none the more organised, growing wherever and however they wanted, just as chaotic as the area behind them. Some even bent in strange shapes that could function as quite a comfortable chair. Yamaguchi would adore this place- Tsukishima realised- he would just stretch out against one of those stiff trunks, bask in the sunlight and settle down with another one of his Steven King books.

  
"Beyond this path lies the Leshy territory," Hinata answered Tsukishima's question before he even had a chance to ask. "Can you smell them?"

  
_Smell them? Umm, no?_ All Tsukishima could smell were trees. He shook his head.

  
"Really? Their scent is really strong, since they were here not long ago. Try smelling them again."

  
"What do you take me for, some kind of dog?" Tsukishima realised his mistake too late, but before Hinata could make one of his smartass comments about it he rolled his eyes and breathed deeply in.

  
The pungent scent of unfamiliar beasts tickled its way up his nose then, almost making him cough. He was surprised to find how different it smelled from the warmth of Hinata's cave. He was also quite shocked to find out how familiar and comforting Hinata's scent seemed to him.

  
"Is that what the Leshy smell like?" he grimaced, wanting nothing more than to run in the opposite direction. Were all the supernaturals this terrifyingly horrible?

  
"Of course," Hinata replied. "Do you want to meet them?"

  
"Meet them!?"

  
"Yah. Do you wanna?"

  
On one hand, Tsukishima wanted to get as far away from this place as possible. On the other, curiosity bit at his skin like dozens of bullet ants. "Will they kill me?"

  
Hinata stopped to consider it, which already wasn't a good sign. "I've never heard of Leshy murdering people, even if you trespass they'll just make you pay with some petty misfortune, like losing you in the woods or giving you a sack of gold only for it to turn to sand when you get home, or something like that." His grin widened evilly. "Hey, you'd make a perfect Leshy, Tsukishima!"

  
That Tsukishima could only answer with a sigh.

  
Hinata took that as a thumbs up as to wanting to meet these mysterious supernaturals, so he raised his head and gave a long, low howl. His voice was melodic and calling, flowing between the trees as if it belonged there, as if it belonged everywhere.

  
The very instant the echoes faded away, one of the more distant trees began to move. It pulled its rooted feet from the ground, dragging up needles and dirt and stones after it. Arms split from the trunk torso, and the sticks parted to reveal a branch-bearded face.

  
_Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit that tree is walking._

  
It only had to take two steps to stand at the opposite side of the border, (Tsukishima was about as big as its nose) and as it knelt to place its chin onto the ground, it blew wind and bugs into his eyes. Tsukishima had to shake his head to clear his sight.

  
So this was a Leshy. It was a magnificent creature- though it seemed hardly believable; was it really standing here? Was this all real and not just a vibrant, crazy dream?

  
The face was barely inches from his, and despite its skin being complete bark, its eyes were wet and glassy and just as human-like as his or Hinata's. They acknowledged Tsukishima's presence, but ultimately turned to the wolf.

  
"Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhinata...." whispered the Leshy, slowly, the wooden jaw creaking like an old door every time it moved to pronounce the name. "Weren't you... hhhhere.... just a few hours ago...?"

  
_Hours? Has it really been that long?_

  
Tsukishima had expected Hinata to cower in fear, as he always did before bigger players in volleyball, but instead he just wagged his tail and panted happily at the beast.

  
"Yep! I'm not here to hunt again, don't worry, I just came to introduce my friend!"

  
Once again the retina in the Leshy's massive eyes focused on Tsukishima, and he bowed his head a little, under pure habit blurting out; "I'm Tsukishima Kei, nice to meet you."

  
The Leshy hummed in its deep voice, a thoughtful grumble which reverberated in Tsukishima's ribcage, shaking his entire body up right down to his inner organs. "A were...wolf..."

  
_Yeah... werewolf._

  
A couple of little girls with butterfly wings flew out of its hair of needles, giggling and zooming away into the forest leaving nothing but silver glitter behind. The Leshy sighed, long and painful. "Fairies... hhhhhhhhhorrrrrible gosssssssips, they are... Everyone will know about you now... boy..." A massive, wooden finger lifted to jab Tsukishima in the chest, almost pushing him back onto his butt. "New prey... that's what they'll ssssssee you as. You best be... careful."

  
Well wasn't that some cheerful advice. Tsukishima could only stare, still a little in denial that this was actually legit.

  
_This just makes no fucking sense. What the fuck am I even seeing?_

  
"Hhhhhhhhhhmmm.... You are welcome to hunt on our territory... Tsukisssssshhhhima... just howl for us... first... We'll know... your voice..." With that the Leshy backed up, standing to his full height of two-hundred feet. "Goodbye... Hhhhhhhinata and Tsukissssssshhhhima..." And with those words the Leshy turned and stalked away. Just with a few steps he was already out of sight.

  
_You best be careful._

  
"So what do you think?" Hinata beamed at him.

  
What did Tsukishima think of all this? It was strange, unnerving and the last thing Tsukishima thought he'd see with his own eyes. But it was also... comforting. This forest was filled to the brim with creatures Tsukishima thought were fiction just two days ago, but they welcomed him, and the feeling was almost home-y in a sense. Though as soon as Tsukishima told him it was fine Hinata bounced away, leaving Tsukishima jog after him once more.

  
They travelled for hours more, because Hinata seemed to want to show him everything today. Fairy rings, kelpie lakes, enchanted trees with purple leaves, birds that spoke the human language; Tsukishima was losing track of what he had seen in that day. It was all so weird. So brilliant. Tsukishima hadn't felt this curious about anything since his first year of junior high, like he really was a little kid discovering the wonders of the world around him for the first time. Maybe supernaturals weren't so bad as he made them out to be? Maybe Yachi and Hinata were lucky to go to a school with so many of these creatures. Maybe he was lucky to be bitten after all?

  
Though Tsukishima couldn't help but feel relieved when they turned back in the direction of the cave. His head was spinning with all the new sights and smells, and he wasn't used to travelling so fast and so far on foot. Perhaps this is why Hinata had seemingly endless stamina.

  
The stale evening wrapped itself around them as they finally made it back to the safety of the little cave, to the blue creeping roots and the white goose feathers. Tsukishima picked up his phone while Hinata went out to hunt again. Yamaguchi had blown up his phone, over-worried and possibly freaking out because he hadn't replied all day (Tsukishima face-palmed mentally when he remembered that he'd forgotten to send him a text that morning). And as much as Tsukishima wanted to tell him all about the crazy shit he'd seen, he just didn't have the energy. Also, Yamaguchi would think he'd gone mad; it seemed like a huge leap from people who turn into wolves to other lands where time flows differently and huge tree-people that probably inspired the Ents from The Lord of the Rings.

  
**[Me]**  
_I'm still alive. Quit worrying_

  
He told his mother that he wouldn't be coming home for another night, which she did ask this time what was going on, however he said that he'd be home tomorrow and that she shouldn't worry.

  
...Should she worry? He swallowed that thought before it could grow and give him anxiety. He'd deal with all that tomorrow.

  
He had 'dinner' with Hinata, who this time dragged back two rabbits, one white, one dappled, and this time Tsukishima had no objections about eating the meat raw. Thinking back to cooked food, Tsukishima decided that meat was definitely better raw.

  
However as he was finishing, a dull pain began to rear its ugly head within his veins, carrying it all around his body. He must've groaned, for Hinata was instantly at his side.

  
"You're going to turn again tonight," he said softly to him. "How are you feeling?"

  
Tsukishima just groaned louder. "Am I going to have to deal with this shit every night?"

  
"Unfortunately yes, until you learn to control yourself," Hinata replied, then yawned, tongue curling. "I haven't slept properly in over three days, will you be fine on your own?"

  
It took Tsukishima a while to realise what Hinata had said. "Wait... aren't you coming with me?"

  
"I won't always be there beside you," Hinata nudged his shoulder with his muzzle apologetically. "It's best if you go wolf out on your own, and you know where I'll be."

  
Tsukishima stared at him for a long moment, unsettled deeply at the fact that he would run around the forest (at night no less) without Hinata being there...

  
You know what, he had nothing to prove to Hinata, he didn't need his protection. No doubt when he was in wolf-form, he'd have as big a tooth as he did. "Why are you making it sound as if I'm suddenly dependent on you?" he barked, narrowing his eyes.

  
Hinata flinched away. "Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean it that way!" He hung his head. "Are... are we still cool?"

  
Tsukishima huffed, before dipping his head in a nearly indistinguishable nod. God the shrimp was insufferable.

  
The thoughts however melted away when the fresh wave of pain made him double over and keen loudly. The hard solid of another body pressed into him then, offering his warmth like a lifeline which Tsukishima reached up and clung onto. "It'll be over soon," the shrimp's voice whispered into his ear. "You know where to find me."

  
_You know where to find me._

  
And everything went black again.


	6. Home?

Tsukishima came home that Sunday, goosebumps all over his arms as he fiddled with the strap of his bag. He had to have been standing at his gate for at least a minute before he even dared to cross into the pathway that lead to the house he'd in lived all his life. It was so strange and alien, like a monster just waiting to swallow him whole. As he looked at it now, he realised the Leshy he'd met yesterday was less frightening than this house.

  
Every nerve in his body wailed at him to turn around and flee back into the cover of the forest, but Tsukishima still pressed on, every step towards the front door getting louder and louder.

  
He'd sent Hinata on his way after he'd walked him home and now wished with all his heart that he hadn't done that.

Tsukishima inhaled, and the lack of Hinata's scent made the hairs on the back of his head stand on end. He was all alone.

  
His hand curled around the door handle, and paused.

  
He'd left the feeling of wonder back between those trees, where the trees sheltered the monsters. Maybe they could shelter him too? So he didn't have to feel his heart pounding so fast it would literally break his ribcage.

  
_Get a hold of yourself_ , he told himself sternly, forcing himself to press the handle down and open the door.

  
A scent hit him then- one Tsukishima hadn't smelt before but instantly recognised as familiar. His mother was up and about in the kitchen, no doubt already making something to eat, with what time it was. He could hear her moving quietly, slipper-covered feet on a soft tiled floor.

  
Tsukishima never wanted to run away as badly as he did now.

  
He wanted to run back to that forest, where his problems were comfortably ignored and far away. Back to the bracken-covered floor, to that cave and the soft feel of ginger fur-

  
Tsukishima stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind him. It shut way louder than it needed to, like heavy prison doors, making him jump slightly. "I'm home," he called out, trying his very best to contain the panic which had spread throughout his entire body like the Black Plague. He'd never panicked this much before- he'd never panicked in his life. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to act!?

  
_Get a hold of yourself_ , he repeated, his movements stiff as he stepped further into the house.

  
He stepped into the kitchen.

  
"Hi Kei," his mother greeted him happily. "You're just in time for lunch!"

  
Her scent changed slightly then, and Tsukishima picked up on it instantly. She sparkled with immense love, for him only, with both heart and soul. Tsukishima loved her too, immediately and forever.

  
Would that love suddenly disappear if she knew? Would she stop looking at him in that soothingly warm way, as if he was her entire world? Tsukishima didn't know what he'd do with himself if that happened.

  
"I'm not hungry," he said, yet suddenly he couldn't move. He just stood there, dumbly staring at her preparing who-knows-what on the counter.

  
"Really? Have you eaten at your friend's already?" She hummed in thought. "That's right. You need to tell me about that new friend, how are they?"

  
He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the annoyance spike under his skin at thinking of pronouncing Hinata his 'friend'. Hinata was still loud and dumb and obnoxious, the last possible person he'd be friends with.

  
But Hinata had helped him. And he smelled nice.

  
"He struggles with studying," Tsukishima replied (which wasn't a lie). "He's just a guy from my volleyball team."

  
"That's nice of you to help him." She gave a little chuckle. "Lemme guess, Tadashi had to persuade you to it."

  
Tsukishima huffed out a real laugh. "You know me far too well."

  
"Oh come on, you crawled out of my personal space, I can know you 'far too well'."

  
If any harm ever came to her Tsukishima would personally hunt down the bastard that hurt her and bite them to death.

  
_Then bite yourself to death._

  
Horror made his stomach drop to his feet, and he had to clasp his mouth shut to keep himself from making any noise. No. No, no, no. He'd not lift a claw to hurt mum. Never in his life.

  
_You may not have a choice_ , sang the wolf inside him.

  
_I'm not going to hurt my own mother._

_  
But what if you do?_

  
**_I'M NEVER GOING TO HURT HER._ **

  
"Kei?" Mum's voice anchored him from drifting away into the argument with himself, and he blinked to find her looking at him, an apple in her hand, and a worried expression on her face. "Are you alright? You look... strained."

  
There were a great multiple things Tsukishima wanted to do in that moment.

  
He wanted to yell, to scream, to howl until his voice was hoarse.

  
He wanted to tell her the truth. Tell her everything. Tell her that her son was now a monster who could hurt her and everyone around him.

  
He wanted to burst into tears and wail like a scared little child.

  
He wanted to go over to her and hug her tight, and never, ever let go. To bury his face in her shoulder and let her scent wash over him like a warm bath.

  
He wanted to beg her to stay with him, to let him stay with her, to never throw him out, to never stop loving him.

  
Yet he did none of that.

  
"I'm fine, just a little tired."

  
Mum lifted a skeptical eyebrow, and Tsukishima shuddered at the unspoken statement she made.

  
_I know you're lying._

  
Yet she didn't call him out on it. Tsukishima wished she did, because then he couldn't run away anymore. But of course mum knew that if he didn't want to tell her, he wouldn't. That was the way he'd acted all his life, why should this time be any different?

  
Instead, she tossed the apple in his direction, which he caught with a swift hand. "Eat a little snack then, if you're not in danger of starving. It'll do you good to eat something healthy once in a while."

  
Tsukishima scoffed as he turned to walk upstairs. "I eat healthy things all the time."

  
"Says the sugar-addict of the house."

  
_I'm never going to hurt her,_ Tsukishima told himself again, and repeated that statement for each step of the stairs. He may not remember jack shit from his wolf-outs, but if it was really him then he'd engrave that statement so deep into his own brain that you could see the other side peaking through.

  
Tsukishima looked back at the apple in his hand- it smelled so fresh and juicy, but suddenly Tsukishima wanted to turn his nose up at it. He still had the distant taste of raw meat in his mouth, and he smacked his lips, unsure what to think.

  
His hand gripped the fruit tighter. Fuck his wolf instincts, he decided finally, who were they to tell him what to eat and not eat? Hell would freeze over before he'd leave strawberry shortcake untouched, or this apple for that matter.

  
So Tsukishima was dead set on proving a point to his annoying self, even if it was over such a small, insignificant thing.

  
It was the small, insignificant things that were the most annoying.

  
He took a bite.

  
The apple's taste wasn't different than he remembered, it was still that ziggy, fruity sap, not something otherworldly. Of course it was- he was a doofus for thinking that absolutely everything would change. Part of the apple started to give away, but something else did too, and a different taste flooded his mouth then. Metallic, almost like iron, bitter and definitely disgusting.

  
Tsukishima yanked the apple back, confusion swirling when he saw red smear the green skin, and it slowly dawned on him when he realised that something had been left behind in the indents. It was small, pearly-white; it might've been a worm for all it was worth.

  
And just like that Tsukishima's heart rate picked up all over again. Slowly he lifted his tongue to the source of the bleeding, praying with all his might that it was not what he thought it was.

  
Of course it had to be.

  
There was a gap between his teeth.

  
That tooth stuck in the fruit was his own. His own upper leftmost fang.

  
He'd just lost a tooth!

  
What the fuck!?

  
Tsukishima ran to the bathroom, quickly locking himself inside. There was no need to panic, maybe it was just a leftover baby tooth, one that was late to fall out? But this one had a long root, undissolved, unlike the rootless baby teeth. Besides, he'd sold his last one to the Tooth Fairy years ago, back when he still believed in her.

  
He faced the mirror, reluctantly opening his mouth and pulling back his upper lip.

  
Well shit, he looked like he was six again. The hole itself was dark and bloody, painfully sensitive when the cool air reached it, so he closed his mouth and covered it with a hand.

  
It was his werewolf condition, wasn't it? What else could it possibly be? Tsukishima wasn't dumb- he'd realised what this meant. The illness was getting rid of his useless human teeth and making room for those terrifying, huge wolfish teeth.

  
How much was he going to lose? Every last one? He ran his tongue against both rows, and found only his three remaining fangs loose.

  
A more important question would be- how was he supposed to hide this? Never eat? Never speak? Could he just keep his mouth closed and hope nobody would notice? He was quiet, he should be able to pull it off.

  
With a click of his tongue he yanked his tooth out of the apple, giving up on the long-forgotten point he was trying to make and tossing it in the bin, before taking his tooth and himself into his room and flopped on the bed. What the hell was he supposed to do with this? It's not as if he could put it under his pillow and-

  
Wait. Could he? If _every_ supernatural existed, did that mean the tooth fairy did too? Could he just...

  
Nobody would know.

  
Tsukishima wordlessly slid the tooth under his pillow, before pressure in his mouth made itself known. It bordered on slightly painful, and at this point Tsukishima could only groan with his face full of duvet. Would there ever be a time when he was _not_ in terrible pain?

  
He lifted his head suddenly, eyes wide and scanning. Where... There!

  
The lime-green dinosaur plushie was snatched from its shelf, and it didn't make a sound when Tsukishima bit down into its side. Instead the sigh came from Tsukishima himself, and he curled around himself on his bed, feeding off of the relief his toy brought him.

* * *

  
Tsukishima only pulled away from his toy when the knock on his door sounded.

  
"Kei?"

  
"Yeah?" he replied, already itching to sink his teeth into the dinosaur again.

  
"Me and dad are going out," mum's muffled voice came through the door. "We'll be back tomorrow morning."

  
Well that was a relief. What time was it anyway?

  
Before his eyes could drift to the clock his mother spoke up again.

  
"Atikeru'll be home though, he'll come in a few hours- he said his practise would run late," she continued, already walking away from his door. "You won't be alone, don't worry."

  
"Yeah, sure," Tsukishima replied, disinterested, before turning back to his dinosaur.

  
There was a massive tear in its underbelly, and most of the puffy white stuffing was pulled out and scattered across his bed.  
What had he done? And that plushie was one of his favourites. Tsukishima couldn't even bear to look at its sagging, sad face. He nosed its cheek in apology, before reaching out to collect the stuffing and shove it back inside the dino. He'd have to steal mum's sewing kit to fix it properly. Later, though.

  
For now it just had to return to its place on the shelf with an open wound. It scowled at him, its gleaming button eyes sparkling at him in the seeping sunlight, as if to ream him out.

  
"Again, sorry," he growled out loud, wrinkling his nose at it. If he wanted- needed- to chew, he needed to find an alternative, because he wasn't willing to sacrifice any of his other figurines.

  
A chew toy would be ideal. Maybe he could buy himself one; there was a pet store not too far from here and-

  
Tsukishima mentally choked at the idea- there were things with his mouth he just did not want to do- playing with a dog chew was one of those things. He may be a werewolf, but it didn't mean he was going to just bow down to his newfound instincts. He had pride to uphold. But the ache in his teeth was slowly driving him insane.

  
He jumped when he heard the car leave the house, the engine going quieter and quieter until he couldn't hear it anymore. The meaningless background noise was gone too- whatever dad was watching on tv, and whatever mum was talking to him about. All gone, leaving behind silence which quickly crawled under Tsukishima's skin.

  
He usually enjoyed silence; that meant nobody was around and he could do whatever the hell he felt like. But now it was far too quiet for Tsukishima's taste.

  
Tsukishima could feel his throat going dry, and his eyes drifted to his window.

  
Outside.

  
He needed to get outside.

  
_Now_.

  
His door crashed open, and Tsukishima almost fell down the stairs with the speed he ran. He almost took a knee on the last step too, able to grab his coat off the door handle and half-fit his feet into his trainers before he burst out his house, the front door slamming shut behind him.

  
The cloudy sky greeted him, and the midday sun washed the panic from his body. That was also the instant Tsukishima's brain cleared and he dug his heels into the pavement and skidded to a halt.

  
Slowly he turned his head to stare back at his house.

  
It still looked like it wanted to pull his eyes from his skull. It still looked like it wanted to take immense pleasure in taring out his organs.

  
A lump of guilt rose in Tsukishima's throat. How could he be afraid of his own house? Did he seriously just run away from it?

  
He'd walk- that should ease him out his worry and let him put his thoughts into place. He had money (his pockets jingled with spare change) but unfortunately he'd left his phone and headphones back in his room, and he wasn't willing to return there- not just yet anyway.

  
After a few minutes of arguing with himself, Tsukishima turned to go to the town centre, where he knew the pet store lay, like a silent hunter's trap.

* * *

  
The trip to that pet store wasn't as bad as Tsukishima had been anticipating; his cat-lady grandma hadn't been in to buy food for the little critters and he could sneak around undetected. He did snarl at a barking German Shepherd however (thankfully the owner didn't notice), and the force of his noise sent his bottom right fang flying out onto the floor and under a display case.

  
Tsukishima didn't bother to retrieve it, and he certainly didn't open his mouth for the rest of his time in the shop.

  
He ended up buying a short green pull-rope, one usually meant for tug-of-war, which was the least embarrassing thing he could find. No way was he buying himself a stuffed toy-roadkill or worse- a squeaking ball (even though, to his sheer horror, he did perk his head up every time an unsuspecting owner taunted their dog with one).

  
He exited the store with the rope under his coat, head hung in shame as if he'd just been in a sex shop. Even though the pressure in his mouth was slowly getting too much to bear, he sternly promised himself that he wouldn't pull out that rope until he was behind a locked door.

  
"There you are!"

  
Tsukishima didn't think that statement was directed at him, so he didn't react. He didn't recognise the voice, so why should he? Instead he lifted a hand to swat at a big butterfly which almost flew into his face.

  
"Hey! Keep those hands to yourself!"

  
Tsukishima stopped in his tracks. Did... Did that butterfly just yell at him?

  
The butterfly was suddenly flapping directly in front of his eyes. It was too close- but now Tsukishima could see that this wasn't a butterfly at all.

  
It was a tiny girl flapping on green-black chitin wings. She had a pitch black body, and forest-green hair and eyes which bore no pupils.

  
"Who are you!?" Tsukishima blurted, stumbling back away from whatever the fuck that thing was.

  
The little flying beastie just shook her head, sighing deeply. "I'm sorry for startling you; I guess you're still not used to it."

  
For a while all Tsukishima was capable of was staring blankly at the talking butterfly, wondering what the heck was going on. He must be tripping some major balls because that was a _humanoid butterfly_ which _talked_.

  
"You look seriously shocked," the butterfly pointed out, then her face contorted into barely suppressed excitement. "Oh. Oh! That means I'm the first!" She tipped back and performed a little backflip so the sunlight caught beautifully on the green of her black wings. "Ooooooooh! This is so exciting!"

  
"Well I'm flattered," Tsukishima began sarcastically "but I'd really appreciate it if you told me who and what the fuck you are- apart from some apparent bad acid trip."

  
The butterfly fell a little, before she promptly remembered how to fly. "That's right! You barely know anything!" She bent at a right angle so her face was closer to Tsukishima's right eye (he had to close his left one to avoid spazzing out). "I'm Emerald Swallowtail! A fairy through and through! The first one who's ever talked to you!" She pressed her tiny hands to the glass of his frame, and flashed him a huge smile. "And you're Tsukishima Kei, the newbie werewolf!"

  
Tsukishima leapt back, blinking rapidly to clear his blurring sight. "How do you know me!?" he gasped out, finally grasping the fact this was another supernatural and _these things exist_.

  
He was never going to get used to this, was he?

  
"You met a Leshy yesterday," the fairy pointed out. "You told him your name. Monarch just so happened to over hear, and of course your arrival is big news!"

  
She flashed another huge smile. "Us fairies are the main source of new in the supernatural world, you see, we're the reason everyone always knows everything. Our word travels as swiftly as the wind itself."

  
Oh. The Leshy really wasn't kidding when he said that everyone would know about him. A nasty shiver went down Tsukishima's spine.

  
"I thought humans loved to gossip too," said Swallowtail, noticing his grimace. "Wouldn't you agree it's better to know things than to be in the dark?"

  
As much as he hated to say it, Swallowtail did have a point (but it still set him on edge). He opened his mouth to apologise, when a second voice cut across him.

  
"Oooooooh my gosh!"

  
Tsukishima didn't have time to dodge the second butterfly which flew directly into his hair. He shook his head to dislodge her, and another fairy came tumbling out, this time orange which a mottled black pattern. Like Swallowtail, she had a completely black body and pupil-less eyes, glassy like an orange mirror.

  
"Oh he's so handsome!" exclaimed the second fairy. "Just like Monarch said! And bearing such a pretty name too! I love the irony! A werewolf named after the very moon? It's like destiny herself meant for him to grow fangs and beautiful, white-gold fur!"

  
"Excuse me!?"

  
"Give the guy some space," Swallowtail hissed, dragging the orange fairy back by the scruff of her neck. "No need for you to be yowling in his face."

  
"Swallowtail let me go!"

  
Swallowtail ignored the thrashing butterfly and turned back to Tsukishima. "Please excuse Marbled Fritillary- she's a horrible sucker for pretty things. Like a little magpie, but with living creatures."

  
Tsukishima just sighed, and cautiously looked around. The cars zoomed past him, the drivers and passengers too busy to pay him any mind, and thankfully there were no pedestrians to think he was crazy for talking to insects. One person was enough- Tsukishima already though he was crazy. He raked his mind to see if he knew anything about these creatures- had Hinata said anything about them?

  
Yes. Yes he had.

  
"You're not dragging me to the Wasp Nest," he declared confidently.

  
Fritillary and Swallowtail both stared at him in shock for a moment, before the former flapped right up into his face.

  
"That's so offensive!" she shouted. "How dare you! We don't own the awful Wasp Nest! It belongs to the dirty-scheming faeries! We are the fairies!"

  
What in the everloving fuck was she on about? Did she just say that fairies didn't own the Wasp Nest, then said they did? What?

  
Thankfully Swallowtail came to his rescue yet again. "He can't tell the difference in the spelling when you yell it at him," said she. "It's an easy mistake to make," she assured Tsukishima. "Us fairies- with an 'ai', mind you- are the more civilised ones, the butterfleis who make magic from flowers and the gossipers you've no doubt heard of." She giggled a little. "The other faeries- spelled with an 'ae', are the ones from the Wasp Nest, the ones who kidnap human babies and love possessively. It really does suck they named us so similarly, doesn't it?"

  
Feeling stupid, Tsukishima lowered his gaze and kept on walking, hoping all the could just be over. But no- of course the two fairy creatures had to flap after him. Fritillary even sat on his shoulder as easily as if it were a park bench, crossing one leg over the another. (He briefly considered swatting her away, but ultimately decided that another round of her screeching would be too much for his delicate ears to handle).

  
"So what is it like?" They asked him.

  
"What is what like?"

  
"Being a werewolf. You were human a short while ago- how's it feel being another creature?"

  
Tsukishima couldn't help but flinch. All his life he simply accepted that he was human; it was a straight-up fact and nobody could tell him otherwise. He didn't even need to question his humanity... up until today.

  
Humans didn't change shape at the moon's command, for heaven's sake. But, Tsukishima decided, he would still think himself as human until proven otherwise. Of course he wouldn't be proven otherwise. He looked and acted perfectly like a human, and would forever always, wouldn't he?

  
...Wouldn't he...?

  
"No idea," he eventually replied.

  
"That's not very interesting," Fritillary snapped before being shushed by Swallowtail.

  
"Well if I don't know then I can't tell you, can I?" Tsukishima elaborated, glaring daggers at the tiny orange lady. "I've only been one for like... what? Two days?"

  
"But you ought to know by now!" The orange fairy whipped round to face Tsukishima head on. "Come on! Tell me!"

  
"You know what?" Tsukishima barked at her, finally having enough. "You're annoying. Leave me the fuck alone."

  
Marbled Fritillary's face fell, and she shot up into the air as if she were a tiny startled clockwork spring. Her tiny mouth flopped open like a fish's, unable to form a reply, so Tsukishima walked on, finally leaving her noisy self behind.

  
"She's going to be really mad at you," Swallowtail spoke up suddenly, making Tsukishima jump. She had taken Fritillary's place on his shoulder, but instead perched upon it like a little hawk. "As far as I know nobody had spoken to Fritillary like that before."

  
"I couldn't care less," said Tsukishima. He walked the entire way home in complete silence, a finger feeling the outline of stiff rope under his coat. The pressure in his teeth had return (unfortunately), and he clenched and unclenched them repeatedly in a feeble attempt to relieve it.

  
The sun was crawling down the sky by the time Tsukishima made it home. This time as it came into view, it was a welcome relief. The building offered its protection to him from the outside world, like welcoming, open arms. A friendly little monster, not a human-eater like it seemed so this morning.

  
"Well, it seems as if you've arrived at your den," Swallowtail said again, standing to her full height of fifteen centimetres before brushing herself clean of lint. "Humans live in quite nice dens, very warm. Sometimes I think it's a shame that I live in a small, cold flower bud."

  
She flew up, so high that Tsukishima had to tilt his head up just to keep her in his line of vision. Her eyes were suddenly so much brighter now.

  
"I know you are afraid, sweet moonlight," said Emerald Swallowtail, "and you have every right to be. But know that you're one of us now, and we supernaturals protect each other. No matter where you turn, no matter where you find yourself. Whether it will be a total stranger like myself, or your dear little Shoyo, you will always find someone there to help you."

  
She kissed him on the cheek, before zipping quickly away without another word, leaving nothing but a trail of silver glitter behind.

  
The fuck was that about?

  
Tsukishima shook himself before letting himself back into his property.

* * *

  
Again he had to pace back and forth in denial ( _I'm not putting a dog toy in my own mouth_ ) before the almost-numbing pain took away any pride he had remaining and left him back on his bed with a mouthful of rope.

  
This time it was the darkening sky that made him pause. Hmm? What was it? Was someone calling him? He stood to his feet and staggered to his window, and propped his elbow on the windowsill. He watched the last bits of red and orange vanish from the sky, replaced by navy. A white glow peaked through the horizon, and Tsukishima violently retreated.

  
Drat, he forgot he was going to turn every night. Honestly. It was getting repetitive, and annoying. He was tired of his shit already.

  
Really, couldn't he just have one night off? He was home for heaven's sake, Atikeru was coming home and-

  
Oh God.

  
Oh God, _Atikeru_.

  
Tsukishima quickly locked his door, before hurriedly fishing his phone out his bag. The moon's light was scorching his skin now, and if Tsukishima had the strength he would've gotten up to rip the curtains closed (not that it would do any good). However he just tapped through his phone and clicked on his brother's contact.

  
It rang. And rang.

  
Atikeru didn't pick up.

  
Tsukishima let out an involuntary whine, panic rising again when the call failed a second time.

  
"Dammit Atikeru! Pick up!" he yelled helplessly. "Please, for your own good, pick up the phone!"

  
The pain came when he reached out to press call for the third time. He withdrew his hand, instead ripping his glasses off his face and flopping onto the floor.

  
_Be still_ \- he thought through the brambles of light scarring his skin. _Be still, it only hurts for a moment._

  
That was the longest moment of Tsukishima's life. He could feel his bones twisting wildly out of place, jaws stretching and skin itching.

  
_I didn't get to warn Ni-chan-_

_  
Warn who of what?_

  
The pain suddenly stopped, and Tsukishima stood there for a moment, panting, before he raised his head.

  
_Where am I?_

  
Where was the forest? Where were the trees? The earth, the wind? Why did everything look so downstraight _strange_?

  
He took a deep breath, and he smelled his own scent. It was rubbed over everything, just like in that other wolf's cave.

  
Was this his territory? It seemed like it was. Tsukishima folded his hind legs and sat, frowning. It was... underwhelming to say the least. Too small, too little trees, without that sense of freedom and fresh prey. Where? Where was he?

  
How does he get out?

  
Where? Where is the exit? Where is the forest? Where? Where, where, where?

  
Up there- the weird hole in the stoney wall. That way. He could escape his prison that way.

  
So he jumped onto a strange, rectangular log before leaping for freedom and smashing his long face into nothing.

  
Tsukishima bounced back, paws slipping frantically on the polished surface, knocking over strange reptilian ornaments and a folding-glowy thing, which smashed as it hit the ground with him.

  
Dazed, Tsukishima shook his head and pulled himself back onto his feet, before leaping onto the wooden cuboid again, nearly losing his footing on a weird, spinning cushion on his way there.

  
Hmm. He tapped the hole to freedom with a paw, and gave a whine. An invisible barrier seemed to be keeping him from getting out. He was trapped... He was trapped! He couldn't get out! The whine turned to a growl as he reared up, scratching at the barrier, leaving white marks but not enough to set him free, so instead he rested his head against it in defeat.

  
No. He can't be stuck. Not here. Please. _I need to get out of here. Please._

  
There _must_ be some other way to leave this wretched place.

  
He leapt down, running around the room disoriented before knocking into a thin panel of pale wood. It was one of the stronger-smelling objects in the enclosure, aside from the bedding, of course. Was this an exit? How did it work? How could he break through?

  
Tsukishima backed away, before running as fast as he could towards the panel, ramming his shoulder into it. It budged, and Tsukishima felt a surge of pride and relief. This way.

  
He attacked the wood with his outstretched claws, leaving large gashes and a glimpse of what was on the other side. Green! Oh gosh, his salvation! There it was!

  
Even though his exhausted body was drained of the majority of its strength, Tsukishima still managed to back away one last time and ram into it again. The bruise was going to be so worth it.

  
The hinges gave way and the panel fell to the ground with a thud, Tsukishima following suit. He whooped with joy, leaping up to hug the green and-

  
Hold on. That was a single plant, trapped in some sort of ceramic containment. Tsukishima sniffed at it, before deeming the plant a disappointment and knocking it over with a single swipe.

  
And yet it was the only piece of green in this barren place.

  
He was still trapped. In this labyrinth with seemingly no escape. Would he roam these halls forever, yearning for the safety of a forest? Would he die here!? A shrill howl rose from his throat, calling. For who? Tsukishima didn't know himself.

  
The ginger wolf perhaps? The Leshy? The two fairies? Any stranger to come and set him free?

  
Where, where, where?

  
Again his panic let him flee through the maze corridors, his paws frighteningly useless as they tried and failed to give any grip on the wooden floor. His body wailed every time he unwittingly crashed into a wall blocking his path. Eventually he found a nice, shallow cliff with even steps. It was so much different from the even floors, but despite that he was sure-footed and successfully made his way down. There we go! Progress!

  
There was a slam, and Tsukishima's fur stood on end.

  
A harsh human voice called out, ringing around the entire maze like a thousand echoes. There was a human in here! Humans were dangerous! They endangered everything! They endangered him!

  
But if he was here, it must be a human's fault- he certainly didn't come here of his own accord. Was he stuck here because of this non-wolf?

  
So he followed the echo of that voice, snaking through a cluttered room with a checkered floor, pawsteps silent and in control, this time at least, before he pushed past a creaking, moving tree.

  
_Excuse me, small Leshy_ , he thought. _I'm on a hunt._

  
The human came into view, and he was much bigger than Tsukishima had expected. Even when he was sitting on a step, fiddling with his feet, Tsukishima could tell he would be extremely tall. Warning flashed through his fur, though he inhaled quickly and paused for a moment.

  
Did he recognise this human? His scent was remarkably similar to his own, except this one was more toned down, more mundane. His nose twitched; maybe it would be reasonable to find out.

  
A growl manifested in his throat, and the human whipped his head around. Their eyes met, and Tsukishima saw them widen, and the scent change to fear.

  
Yep, definitely didn't know this one- someone who knew him wouldn't be afraid of him. This one just leapt to his feet to put some distance between them.

  
"Kei! Why is there a dog in the house!?" the human called out, the volume almost urting Tsukishima's ears. What was the human yammering on about? Kei? Who was Kei?

  
"Be quiet!" Tsukishima snapped back at him. "Why are you here!? Why are you even keeping me here!?"

  
But the human just stared dumbfounded at him, as if he'd never even seen a wolf before. Did he not except that he'd break out of his prison? Was this what this was?

  
Then he was going to have to pay.

  
Tsukishima cranked back his legs, and sprung forward. Their chests collided as he brought the human down to earth with him, but missed the initial attack bite. Frustrated, he drew back and aimed to fix his mistake, however two hands suddenly clasped around his muzzle, keeping it tightly shut.

  
The human had reached up and grabbed, holding him firmly at a steady distance. The rage just built when he yanked himself free no-problem, stomping on one disgusting human hand with a paw of his own, and opened his jaws.

  
_That's quite enough._

  
Huh? Who was that?

  
_Look up._

  
Slowly Tsukishima looked up, and there, through the open hole seeped in the darkest night he'd ever see. And there, perfectly fitted in the frame, hung the moon, staring at him like a single silvery eye. It was smaller than last night, but Tsukishima still felt its power seep through his veins. He wanted nothing more than to leap out and swallow it whole.

  
_Leave the human. Come run under me instead._

  
Ah. The moon was feeling merciful tonight. Maybe the human was important to it too? _If that is the case then, my humble apologies, moon._

  
Tsukishima stepped away from the human, and charged out the door. Immediately the freedom kick-started his muscles into overdrive, filling him with the energy to run, to jump, to do absolutely everything. He scrambled over the wooden gate, and didn't look back.

  
All he knew was that he was running under the moon, just like the great silvery eye had commanded, and was running back to that forest. And hopefully, he'd find the orange werewolf there too.


	7. Read Them and Weep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos! You guys make my day!

The Golden Goose was a place Yachi didn't go to often anymore. Last time she'd been there was the day before their junior high graduation? And that was how many months ago? She used to go there every other day with classmates and her clique.

The darkwood walls were a familiar sight, as were the many ebony statues that stared out of the windowsills, enchanted with spells to ward off evil spirits. The deer-antler ceiling lights were still there, as were all the same tables and chairs.

Absolutely nothing had changed, and Yachi was glad for that as she glanced over the bar and the sets of tables and chairs, her hand threading through the amber clump of fur that stood beside her.

"Oh!" the bartender spotted them come in, his single eye blinking in surprise, then welcome. "Yachi! Hinata! You're back!"

There was a swift 'shring' sound and her hand rose with the head that suddenly stood on two legs instead of four.

"Hiya Eyeball!" Hinata quipped happily while Yachi just smiled widely at the cyclops gentleman, waving shyly. He returned the gesture, before returning to polishing a shot glass. There weren't many customers in today, but the ones that sat about turned to stare at them, before deeming them uninteresting and going back to their own means.

Two, however, didn't. Two boys who sat at the far end of the bar, saving two empty seats, and their faces lit up as they waved them over.

Those two faces were perhaps the most familiar things out of this establishment.

"Izumin! Koji!" Hinata shouted, drawing attention to themselves once again, so much so that Yachi had to pat his shoulder to get him to calm down. Seriously, sometimes he did act like a dog who's owner just came home.

Though when they took their spots beside those two, suddenly it seemed like everything was back to the good old days.

"Long time no see!" Koji greeted them with a a laughing smile and a peace sign. His hair had grown- he hasn't. Yachi took her place beside Koji, while Hinata sat at the other side beside Izumi.

"How's the life for ya?"

"Izumin made is as a regular in his basketball team," Koji slapped his best friend in the back, who coughed a little.

"You don't have to brag for me, Koji," he whispered, red flooding into his cheeks. "All of us are regulars on our sports teams."

"Yeah, but I'm the only one who warms the bench," Koji justified indignantly.

"Congratulations!" Yachi cheered, very aware that they were a tad too loud for the small room, but for once not caring. "That's a big deal for a school like yours, innit?"

"I won't lose to you, Izumin!" Hinata huffed cheerfully too, eyes flashing with excitement.

"We aren't even playing the same sport, calm down puppy."

That got Hinata to calm down, as he hung his head. "Are you ever going to stop calling me that?" he whispered.

Yachi, feeling playful, lay her head on the table to look him in the eye. "Nope! You'll be our little pup forever, Hinata!"

"Forever and ever!"

They laughed like that for a few minutes more, as if time had gone back and they were back in their final year of junior high. It hadn't occurred to Yachi before, but now she knew that she missed that sad, white-grey school building and all the weird, unexplainable nonsense that happened within its walls, and she missed the strange creatures that shamelessly wandered in the hallways, so much of them that it was humanity that was strange. She missed talking to fairies in between classes, or going on strange adventures which made both fear for her life and feel like she was on top of the world. She missed being a part of something that wonderful.

And heck, she maybe also missed the hallway fights between evenly-matched supernaturals who tested their strength against each other. They were still terrifying as hell, but it was weird without them. Yachi still walked the corridors on her toes, half-expecting to run into a showdown between an undine and a nine-lived cat humanoid.

Sure, she was scarred from the 'Wasp Nest' incident (they all were) which must not be spoken of again, but at tiny part of Yachi wanted to do something like that again. The bigger part of her screamed that she'd die if she ever agreed to something as dumb and risky as that again.

Her thoughts were interrupted when good old, one-eyed Eyeball stepped on forward towards them, his bottom jaw over-bite stretched into a crooked yet friendly smile. His raspy voice asked them what they would be having, and Yachi didn't hesitate when she took her favourite; two small shot-glasses of Liquid Fire. What? It was cold outside and Yachi decided a long time ago that she liked the taste of fire. The drink moved wonderfully in the two glasses as Eyeball handed them to her, yellows and oranges flickering as smoke rose from its surface like steam.

Meanwhile Koji and Izumi each took a glass of blue-raspberry juice (made with actual blue raspberries, and not some slushie ripoff), the juice almost looked like bathroom cleaner with how blue it was, and Hinata took a pint of bread kvass, which ironically was the only option in the entire bar that wasn't tied to supernaturals in some way.

A secret of Yachi's was that she couldn't wait to try all the different supernatural alcohols when she turned eighteen- especially the hotter, blue version of her Liquid Fire. Yet the four of them liked to pretend, in the way they tilted their heads back as if taking a swig of beer.

"Aight," Izumi started when he put down his glass, still half-full. "Let's get to the point." His glare bore holes into Hinata's skin. "The guy you bit- who is he?"

Just like that Hinata deflated, and Yachi reached over to grasp his hand.

It really wasn't his fault, Yachi knew that it wasn't. She knew just how strong the moon's influence was, how unbelievably tight it held onto its wolves. It wouldn't've mattered if Hinata had been a werewolf for a week or fifty years, the full moon would've still been able to rip his soul from his body and drive him to murder.

And its control was a terrifying thing too- because despite all the awful things the moon made him do, Hinata still _adored_ it just like every werewolf did.

It was a little horrifying, to be perfectly honest.

"His name's Tsukishima," Yachi replied for him.

"That we know," Koji elaborated. "The fairies' gossip reaches everywhere, even the Underworld, and they tell everyone everything- his name's Tsukishima Kei, he's tall, blonde and handsome- their words, not mine."

"Hinata, are you okay?"

Hinata had gone a little pale in the face, hands gripping his glass so tightly his knuckles turned white. "I didn't mean to," he whispered. "I didn't want to-"

"Hey, hey," Izumi reached out to wrap his arms protectively around him, and Yachi regretted not taking a space next to him so she could do the same. "Stop blaming yourself when it was that stupid satellite making you do those things."

"But it really is my fault." Tears swam in his orange eyes now. "I knew I was going to loose control, and I still went there! I still came and put them all under such risk! I could've killed all of them!"

"It's not your fault. It's mine," admitted Yachi, also feeling the edges of her eyes sting, and despite just downing a shot of red flames, her entire body went cold with guilt. "I promised to keep you under control and I couldn't even do that! You should be mad at me! I was the one who let it happen!"

"You're not the one that goes around attacking people, Yachi!" Hinata shouted back, taring himself from Izumi's arms. "I could've killed Tsukishima that night!"

"And I could've prevented everything if only I had done a better job!"

"I shouldn't've came to practise that night! I should've just ran about the forest being the mindless monster that I am!"

"But I promised to protect you and everyone else!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, BOTH OF YOU," Koji screamed over them, shutting them both up effectively and he even got an applause from a frustrated lone drinker from the other end of the bar. He took a deep breath, steadying his voice before speaking a little quieter. "It doesn't mean shit to who's at fault here, so you two need to stop blaming yourselves otherwise you'll go insane."

_But it's my fault I couldn't help Hinata. He wasn't in the right mind- I was. I could've done everything to stop it all, yet I did nothing._

"You better stop thinking like that," Izumi put in, making Yachi realise she must've said that out loud. His finger flicked her gently in the forehead, before he dried her tears with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. "If you really did nothing then why is the damn guy still alive?"

For a while neither of them said anything. It was only when Eyeball stepped forward to them did their conversation continue.

"This is about the new lycanthrope, isn't it?" he rasped out, taking out eyedrops from his pocket. He raised his head to drop it into his massive eye which took up ninety-percent of his face and blinked a couple of times before turning to stare at the four children again. "Koji and Izumi are correct, it doesn't matter who's fault it was that the poor guy got bitten. What you two need to do now is take care of the guy. The least you could do is make sure he doesn't go feral... and make his wild period less of a flaming dumpster-fire that yours was." Eyeball jabbed a finger in Hinata's direction.

"My wild period wasn't a flaming dumpster-fire," Hinata defended himself quietly. He said it so pathetically that Koji's laugh was loud and honest.

Izumi sighed and finished the rest of his juice. "What's this 'Tsukishima' even like?"

Yachi thought back to Tsukishima, and she had to chuckle at Hinata's blank expression.

"Hinata's direct opposite, in every way possible."

"Oh!" Koji put in. "So he's tall, quiet and smart!"

"Are you calling me dumb!?"

Izumi thwaked him over the head. "Keep your voice down- you're already on that guy's hit-list." He gestured the lone drinker again, who's eyes averted when they took notice of him.

"Nevermind him," Eyeball waved him off with a hand that could easily crush Yachi's head in a fist. "He's already got a tab-" he added sourly before continuing. "You've gotta introduce me to this 'Tsukishima' fellow once he gets control over himself."

"That is if he ever does," Yachi mumbled morbidly. She remembered the horror stories others had told her- that the majority of werewolves lose themselves completely, their humanity vanishing until what was left was a cold, animalistic nothing. That's why everyone worked so hard to keep Hinata sane and human.

Yachi had actually witnessed this happen. An innocent person in the year below got bitten (by the same guy who Turned Hinata no less), and the poor girl never managed to get control over herself. With each day she went more and more feral as her schoolmates, friends and family watched on with disbelief and dread, until finally she forgot everything and ran into the forest, never to be seen again. The fairies had said that she had ran so far that she was actually out of Miyagi Prefecture, and that she had joined a wolf pack and was now the proud mother of six pups.

The girl was happy no doubt, living without her human mind and memories, but the family and friends she left behind were still weeping over her loss.

The worst part was the realisation that the same thing could've, _could still_ , happen to Hinata. And now Tsukishima was in danger too.

"Of course he is!" Koji huffed, pulling out the starry hair-tie out of her hair and handing it to her passive-aggressively. "Seriously Yachi, you're far too pessimistic over everything. The last thing we need right now is another one of your 'they're going to steal my eyeballs' meltdown."

Yachi sighed, putting up her hair again. "Am I ever going to live that down?"

Ignoring her, Izumi just rolled his eyes. "We've already tamed one werewolf, it should be easier the second time."

At least Izumi looked upon this angry clusterfuck with optimistic eyes. He was sort of the fusion of Yamaguchi and Sugawara-san, now that she thought about it. But... Was that optimism really realistic?

Izumi and Koji went do a different school, they didn't know Tsukishima. Sure, they could introduce them to each other, but it would be a little awkward having strangers help with something so intimate. They could help in their own way, but that was just narrowed down to advice-giving.

Hinata didn't really know how to tame werewolves, because he was the one being tamed, and Yachi had the confidence of a hunted rabbit so that made them a rather unstable duo. It was disaster waiting to happen.

But... They did have Yamaguchi and Kageyama. Granted, they had no experience when it came to supernaturals, but Yamaguchi was Tsukishima's best friend and Kageyama was willing to help. That had to amount to something, right?

"Yeah, maybe it will," she nodded, trying to manipulate herself into calming down.

"Of course it will," Hinata assured her. "We both blame ourselves for this mess, so we both have to help clean it up." He smiled. "Besides, maybe Stingy-shima will grow to like us through this whole fiasco?"

That made Yachi laugh, her mood lifting at long last. "Of all the things I've seen, that's perhaps the one that's most impossible."

The two of them snickered and raised their glasses, clinking them softly together; whispered "to Stingy-shima and good luck" and tilted their heads back to down what was left of their drinks.

***///***

"Why did you insist on downing four entire pints?" Izumin mentioned with a raised eyebrow as they left, and Hinata stuck out his tongue in response.

The street was already dark, bathed in a dim yellow light from a single flickering lamppost that overlooked the corner of the half-deserted street. There was a gargoyle standing dead still on the the steps, stone eyes flicking towards them before deeming them not threatening and went back to his stillness.

"I was thirsty," Hinata replied easily, turning to watch Yachi and Koji leave the pub as they waved goodbye to the barman and all the regulars that they knew. It was sort of a shame that the four of them were no longer the same old clique that they once were.

Koji took Izumin's side, while Yachi took his. Both boys wished them good luck and bid them goodnight, before turning away to walk down the alleyway side by side.

A very large part of him wanted to run after them. Hinata already missed them.

"Hinata?"

"Hm?" he looked to Yachi, who was looking up at him with her wide brown eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked him nervously.

Hinata didn't even think about it. "Hn? Of course I am." He tilted his head to the side in question. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Yachi's face looked sad, and Hinata never liked that look on her face. "Hey." He put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked him in the eyes. "It's going to be okay. You know that, right?"

She smiled back at him. "Yeah. You're right."

Hinata just beamed brighter at her. "Come on then, I'll drop you off!"

A shiver went through Yachi's body. "If you're thinking of-"

Too late, Hinata felt his bones click into place as he thudded down onto all fours, giving himself a shake. Ahh, there we go; Hinata practically purred when he stretched out his back legs. Shapeshifting was so pleasantly painless when he wasn't forced into it.

"Come on then, hop on," he growled over to Yachi softly, offering the place on his back to her as if he were opening the passenger door to a fancy cabriolet.

"I'll die if I do that," Yachi protested with a squeak. "We'll both die!"

Hinata nudged her with a shoulder. "Come ooooonnnn! I can run really, really fast!"

"Yes, I know," Yachi argued, though the fight disappeared from her face and Hinata knew he'd won. Yachi also knew he'd won. "Stop grinning at me like that! I swear to God you're going to be the death of me."

The comfortable weight plopped onto his spine as Yachi swung a leg over his back and sat just behind his shoulderblades. This wasn't the first time he'd been a steed- he gave Natsu rides on his back quite often, and in dire situations even Koji and Izumi could be convinced to ride him.

Oh gosh, that sounded so wrong, didn't it?

"You good?" he asked her, craning his head back to make sure she was safe and comfortable.

"Stop that and just go already," she stammered, both hands fisting into his fur. "Go before I change my mind."

Well if she insisted. Hinata flexed his shoulders and sprung forward.

Running was awesome! So, so awesome! Hinata loved it, the scenery blurring past him as every pound of his paws echoed the beat of his heart. Effortlessly he leaped over fences, walls, jumping higher with every bound.

He could never run like this while human. Sure, he could run fast on two legs too, but nothing compared to the absolute freedom he experienced while jumping around in wolfish skin.

Soon he was running over rooftops, mouth open with tongue streaming out behind him. With a single bound he cleared the gaps between people's houses, landing with such grace that Yachi wouldn't've even noticed they ever stopped flying. So high, so far. He could run like this forever.

And the moon was smiling at him. Oh, how it showered him with its lovely rays of silver light, guiding his way and filling his muscles with a strength he only knew while in its brilliance. Its shine always made him a little dizzy, as if he were drunk, but it was an addictive feeling.

Oh it was brilliant.

Oh it was awful.

Hinata hated that moon, but for every inch that he hated it, he loved it a mile more.

He hated himself for loving it. He loved himself for hating it.

Did the moon love him or hate him in return? Maybe its feelings for him were just as confused and mixed as his were.

"Do you think Tsukishima's alright?"

Hinata tripped and almost hurled them both over the edge of a grocery store.

"I mean, the moon's still pretty strong," Yachi elaborated after she was sure they wouldn't plummet to their death. "How do you think he's holding up?"

To be perfectly honest Hinata totally forgot that new werewolves turn every night. The moon mostly left him alone during the night, knowing that he could withstand it's calling for every stage except full. He'd wiped the painful memories from his brain, for the most part anyway.

"...I don't know," he answered her truthfully. "I hope he's okay." Sure, Tsukishima may be a total pile of camel-turd, but it wasn't as if Hinata actually wanted for him to get hurt. He never wanted to cause him such harm, he never-

The slight pat on his shoulder reminded him to calm down and not get too into it.

It still felt horrible, though.

"You didn't tell me what happened the night he turned," Yachi mentioned. "You've been acting a little strange since then."

Hinata had a reason not to. A very, very good reason which he was sure would die with him. "It was scary," he told her.

Another memory to be wiped out.

"Oh," was all Yachi said.

The scenery of Yachi's block brought them out of the conversation. He skidded a little before prancing his way into a stop.

"Here we go," said he as Yachi slipped from his back. "Told you it'd be quicker."

"It's probably the only time you've ever been correct."

"Hey!"

Though Yachi was already laughing, and he laughed with her as she waved him goodbye and he bounded away.

He ran the entire way home thinking about what Tsukishima was doing now. The moon was out, so he'd probably turned again. Hopefully everything was okay with him.

Hopefully everything would be okay.

Hinata came home padding with thoughts still plagued with Tsukishima, only to have them whisked away by the happy face of his little sister.

"Ni-chan!"

Her tiny body crashed into him, though she couldn't've knocked him over even if she wanted to. But Hinata obediently flopped onto his back and let her scramble over him, the smile back on his face.

"Why did you come back so late!?" she demanded, tongue dancing skillfully behind her teeth as pure Wolven escaped her voice. (Hinata had to admit that Natsu spoke Wolven better than he did- heck she spoke it even more fluently than she did Japanese). "Mama tried to get me to go to sleep without a bedtime story!"

"I was out with friends!" he defended himself weakly as the little girl buried herself further into his fur.

"Shoyo, you're home!" Mama's voice came from the kitchen.

Hinata could only smile. "Yeah, I'm home."

***///***

"Wake up. Wake up, Kei..."

_Mum? Is that you? I know your voice. It's so beautiful. Mum..._

Tsukishima stirred, noticing that someone was sitting next to him on his bed. His head was throbbing, and sleep called to him.

"Kei. Wake up, dear."

It was mum's voice again. When was the last time she'd woken him up? Grade school? What time was it? How old was he? What was today's date?

"Kei."

_Mum's calling me._

Tsukishima opened his eyes, and his room slowly came into view. At first nothing was different...

It was all destroyed.

Tsukishima sat bolt upright, startling mum and himself. His breaths came in short, shallow sports as wild, wide eyes scanned the room.

There was scratch marks everywhere. The window, his desk, his chair... his door was broken down and irreparable. The laptop was smashed on the floor, and dinosaurs were scattered everywhere.

Oh no.

"Kei."

Mum was looking at him, a face filled with concern, sadness and sternness. She held out her hands to him, and took Kei's. They were so soft and warm... when was the last time he'd held her hands?

"Mum..."

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

Tsukishima couldn't look her in the eye.

"I'm okay."

Mum sighed. "Don't lie."

A lump of horrific guilt rose in Tsukishima's throat, and he stubbornly refused to look at her face. He couldn't. He didn't know how he'd react if he saw her face.

He couldn't reply.

_Mum..._

She sighed. "You got bitten, didn't you? And you're now a werewolf."

Tsukishima jolted so violently that the entire bed shook with him. Gosh, he felt so sick he'd throw up at any moment. The lump in his throat was so big, the size of a ping pong ball.

"How... did you know?"

"The whites of your eyes are yellow, sweetie," mum said softly. "And now I know why you wanted to spend those nights away from home. It was if to check if you had the lycanthropy disease or not, am I correct?"

She was scarily correct.

It was then that Tsukishima finally gathered the courage to look her in the face. "You know about the supernaturals?"

Mum gave a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, I do."

"Then why didn't you tell me? Does dad know? Does Atikeru know?"

Mum sighed again. "They know _now_. Atikeru freaked out after you attacked him last night- you didn't bite him! Don't worry-" she added when pure, unrestrained horror befell Tsukishima's face "-but you did cause some serious damage and give him quite a scare."

_I attacked Atikeru. God, what else did I do last night?_

Tsukishima fisted a hand into his hair, realising he was shaking all over. He could've killed his own brother. He could've hurt him. He could've cursed him to be the same horrific monster that he now was.

He remembered _nothing_ of last night.

"I didn't tell you about supernaturals because I wanted you and your brother to live normal, human lives," mum continued, distracting Tsukishima from his internal panic attack. She looked up at the ceiling, shuffling back so she could cross her legs on his bed. "I went to a school not far from here when I was young, a school were the majority of pupils were supernaturals. It was very dangerous, I had to keep to myself just to keep off the radar." She closed her eyes, losing herself in some unseen memory. "A lot of humans that went there got turned into supernaturals themselves- vampires, wendigos, werewolves, creatures beyond horrific imagination. It was so dangerous that some of the children even died- either bitten to death or purely eaten. I hear that they got much better at managing the dangerous beasts that ran around its halls, but accidents still do happen."

She shook her head. "I didn't look back when I graduated from there. I know that a normal human life can be overly simple and boring, but it's safe. And the world can be exciting without creatures like them."

_Creatures like them._

Tsukishima flinched.

Mum didn't notice. "I wanted to keep you and Atikeru safe, so I told you the monsters in the dark weren't real. I told you that the strange creatures were just your imaginations. I so wanted you to stay far, far away from their danger, no matter how sickeningly beautiful they are. I almost had a panic attack when you came running to me with a coin and said the tooth fairy gave it to you."

Tsukishima still remembered the horrified face mum made when he showed her the coin. It was a big reason on why he stopped believing in the tooth fairy. How could he ever forget such a terrified expression on his own mother's face? The memory was still clear as crystal.

Mum held her forehead in a palm. "I did everything I could to convince you they weren't real. I kept you two away from that horrible school, from any of the places the supernaturals dwelled in. I even chased away fairies who attempted to speak with you two solely for the reason you were my sons." She gave a dry humourless laugh. "When you went to High School, I finally began to calm down because I thought that you were all safe, that I had succeeded in giving us a simple, magic-free life."  
Now it was her who couldn't look him in the eye. "When you came home yesterday, I knew something was off about you. The whites of your eyes were even more yellow than they are now, and you held up yourself quite well despite looking like you were about to have a panic attack. I didn't want to believe that you were a werewolf, even though I knew it the moment I looked at you. I was in denial. And when Atikeru phoned us in a panic to tell us what happened, I knew that I couldn't lie to myself anymore."

There was awkward silence between them for a moment. The lump in Tsukishima's throat had gotten so big it physically _hurt_ , and the corners of his eyes had began to sting. His brain automatically rejected most of what she had just said to him, and there was ringing in his ears.

A high-pitched, annoying noise like blurry tv static.

He was going to be sick. His teeth hurt. His head hurt. His stomach hurt.

"Do you hate me?"

His own voice was so quiet, so frail that Tsukishima was convinced it was not his own. Why did he ask that? He didn't want to hear the answer.

"What?"

"Do you hate me?" he said again, quieter, frailer.

Tsukishima wanted to run away. He wanted to fall under the earth. He wanted to completely disappear.

Two hands suddenly held his wet cheeks, and raised his head gently, and Tsukishima looked at his mother once more.

"Kei, you're my son. How could I ever hate you?"

It was like a giant stone had fallen off his chest, a weight that was washed away by her words. No longer could he keep back the tears, or a quiet wail. Her arms were warm as they wrapped around him, pressing him close.

"What kind of mother would I be if disowned my child for something that out of your control?" mum kept saying. "I love you, Kei, and don't you dare think otherwise."

"I love you too mum," Tsukishima managed to sob out in relief, reaching out to hug her closer. "I love you."


End file.
